New DART CEO starts job amid investigation into the agency he formerly led

DALLAS - Nathaniel Ford began his first official day as the new President and CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit on Monday, while his previous employer faces a criminal investigation.

Nat Ford's First Day

What they're saying:

DART leaders officially welcomed Ford during a news conference on Monday morning. Reporters took the opportunity to ask him about a criminal investigation into the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. He previously oversaw the agency.

"How can people here in Dallas have confidence in your leadership when you left JTA with a $40 million budget deficit?" FOX 4’s Lori Brown asked.

"Yes, and I think that is an appropriate question. We had, I would say, the perfect storm hit us in terms of Jacksonville. I served there, December would have been 14 years, and the majority of those years, the far majority of these years, about 12 of them, we were running surpluses. We were doing very well from a financial standpoint. But across this nation, the JTA, as well as other transit systems, have suffered with the economy that has developed over the past few years," he said.

JTA’s deficit was about 30% of its total budget. Ford said the problems stemmed from the pandemic, which caused the sales and gas taxes to decline. Then ridership declined and bus driver salaries had to be increased for retention. On the expense side, JTA had a federally funded innovative project that it had to move forward with or reimburse the federal government.

Ford said he will not allow the Florida attorney general and city council investigations to get in the way of his job at DART.

When asked if he would return to Florida to respond to a city council subpoena, he said those discussions are underway right now but nothing has been formalized.

Jacksonville Investigation

The backstory:

Ford came to North Texas from Florida, where he oversaw the JTA. In early October, the Florida Attorney General's office opened a criminal investigation into the transit's nearly $40 million budget shortfall that forced route reductions and staffing cuts.

The investigation focuses on spending that occurred under Ford’s leadership. Investigators are looking into a tuition reimbursement policy for potential IRS code violations, alongside expenses for massages, murals, hotel stays, and a nearly $10,000 trip to Spain. 

A new subpoena seeks Ford's Florida contract, contracts between JTA and Ford's wife, a list of staff members making more than $150,000 a year, and travel records. The state also requested texts and emails between Ford, his wife, a consultant, and other executives sent between October 2023 and March 2025.

Investigators also requested communications related to the firing of JTA accounting department employees. The subpoenas name Ford and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan.

Ford is not facing any criminal charges at this time. He agreed to give voluntary testimony at a Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee meeting.

By the numbers:

According to records uncovered by former JTA board member Megan Hayward, JTA executive spending included: 

• $4,264.51 for a hotel in London for the CEO
• $1,606.50 for a hotel in Madrid for the CEO
• $9,000 for a hotel in Valencia for two executives
• $171,000 in total for hotel stays over approximately 18 months

FOX 4 also previously reported on investigations into Ford’s travel expenses in Jacksonville that included a nearly $10,000 trip to Spain.

Ford will earn an annual salary of $515,000 at DART, which is higher than the salaries of other significant Dallas city leaders. Documents obtained by FOX 4 show Ford will hold his new and old roles simultaneously, with his scheduled final day at JTA set for Jan. 8, 2027.

What they're saying:

DART interim CEO David Leninger and Board Chair Randall Bryant answered questions about Ford's hiring during a Dallas City Council Transportation Committee meeting last Monday.

Bryant told the committee the board is still confident in its selection and does not want to change its decision.

"I don't even want to use this forum as an opportunity to get into a battle with the attorney general of Florida, but we have made our decision based upon what we knew at the time and what we know now," Bryant said.

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