Howland says an expansion would help the aviation industry deal with a shortage of mechanics. Aviation authority leadership says its been advised by the Federal Aviation Administration that this is an illegal diversion of its funds.<\/p>\n
Airport authority board Chair David Hodges Jr. says he hopes mediation can resolve basic charter questions about who controls the authority\u2019s money flow \u2014 the city, the state for Florida, the FAA or all three.<\/p>\n
If not, a lawsuit could again be on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just want clarity. We want clarity as a board. How do we hold JAA management and leadership accountable? And hopefully (in) this 30 days we can grab that clarity and resolve this before anything were to go to the court,\u201d Hodges said.<\/p>\n
Howland still wants the $10 million to be used to grow the aviation mechanics program and wants the city and airport officials to meet with the FAA about it. He maintains that the council\u2019s budget resolution does not allow the money to be spent that way unless the federal agency agrees. As of Thursday, the federal government has not signed off on it.<\/p>\n
The airport authority board alleges the council\u2019s actions have frozen the funds, which does not allow officials to use the money on other issues. The draft lawsuit says airport administrators also worry, if the council gets more power over its budget, there could be an effect on the authority\u2019s bond rating and make infrastructure projects at its four airport facilities \u2014 including Jacksonville International Airport \u2014 more expensive.<\/p>\n
Howland called Thursday\u2019s meeting and the potential lawsuit \u201ca waste of time\u201d and told news reporters after the vote that a lawsuit would be \u201ca waste of taxpayer money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re calling a special meeting. It should be about bringing an innovative aerospace company that\u2019s going to create thousands of jobs,\u201d Howland said. \u201cAnd instead it was a debate about suing the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jacksonville City Council President Nick Howland defends city lawmakers\u2019 amendments to the aviation authority\u2019s 2025-26 budget. He spoke minutes before the independent authority\u2019s board voted Thursday, July 16, 2026, on a potential lawsuit against the city. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today<\/p>\n
Early this year, the riff between Howland and the aviation authority appeared to be cooling off. Howland and the authority\u2019s board came to an agreement on changes to the charter that aim at boltering economic development at Cecil. Those changes were introduced by state Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, in HB 4045<\/a>, which passed unanimously and was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/p>\n The bill and the charter changes it clears give the aviation authority responsibility for the Cecil Airport and Spaceport<\/a> sits on 6,082 acres \u2014 part of the much larger Cecil Commerce Center \u2014 on Jacksonville\u2019s westside. The former Naval Air Station Cecil Field, the facility includes a runway rated for U.S. military use.<\/p>\n In recent years, the airport authority has secured multimillion-dollar expansions by Boeing Global Services<\/a> for its maintenance and repair facilities, and Otto Aviation\u2019s manufacturing plant<\/a>.<\/p>\n Officials say there\u2019s more room for growth in space and aviation industry support services.<\/p>\n The airport authority is scheduled give its annual budget presentation to the City Council on Aug. 14. Howland says the city\u2019s Finance Committee reserved 90 minutes to review the airport\u2019s budget \u2014 the most time allotted to any of the independent authorities \u2014 so officials will have time to detail the annual development for Cecil required in the new state law.<\/p>\n Airport authority officials said in the draft lawsuit that they fear council will use this year\u2019s budget hearings to try again to redirect money in the JAA budget.<\/p>\n \u201cThe council has made clear, and so has the state Legislature, by a total vote of 167-0, that it wants JAA to accelerate investment at Cecil Field, turn it into an aerospace hub, and grow jobs there. We all firmly believe it could be a job growth engine,\u201d Howland said.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish JAA would focus with us on that instead of baseless resolutions and lawsuits. They\u2019ve gone to the FAA to complain, they\u2019ve issued three resolutions, and now they\u2019re threatening this lawsuit which is full of inflammatory language,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s general counsel, Michael Fackler, had previously determined that city lawmakers\u2019 budget changes were legal. But he pushed back against the board\u2019s assertion that its status as an independent authority that answers to federal regulations frees it from some of the rules of Jacksonville\u2019s consolidated city\/county government.<\/p>\n He said Thursday that there could be legal ramifications if the board tries to hire its own attorney outside the general counsel\u2019s office. Like the city\u2019s other independent authorities like JEA, they are represented in legal matters by city lawyers.<\/p>\n Fackler asked the board Thursday to give him and his attorneys time to issue a binding opinion on its assertions and address its concerns of revenue diversion by City Council.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is confusion, if revenue diversion is driving this, let me make it perfectly clear. Council, if they try to create revenue diversion, I\u2019m going to say no. You cannot force this board to spend a dime. I\u2019m happy to put that in writing,\u201d Fackler told the JAA board before the vote.<\/p>\n Lawsuit and liability<\/p>\n According to Fackler, he\u2019d not heard from aviation authority officials since issues with charter changes had been resolved.<\/p>\n He warned board members that there\u2019s a risk board members could be held personally liable by a court, if they hired and spent money on an outside attorney.<\/p>\n Fackler told the board Thursday that the General Counsel\u2019s Office has historically been called \u201cthe glue\u201d holding Jacksonville\u2019s consolidated government together.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t say this lightly, but you are chipping away at the glue,\u201d Fackler said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
economic development of Cecil Airport and for growing the facility as an aerospace hub.<\/p>\n