Mayor Deegan: Bringing back tolls is not the answer to fixing JTA’s $39M budget shortfall

After JTA leaders raised the possibility of bringing back tolls as the agency looks for revenue amid layoffs and a budget shortfall, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan was quick to respond.That is simply not the answer, she said in a statement released Saturday.RELATED: JTA floats bringing back tolls to help close budget gap amid $39M shortfallJTA interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson told the City Council’s Financial Audit and Oversight Select Committee that JTA has the authority to collect tolls and could explore working with a private partner.But Deegan made her position clear: She will counter any efforts by JTA to bring tolls back to the city.“During the City Council’s first Financial Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting with JTA, the possibility of tolls was discussed. Jacksonville has been down this road before, and the people have already spoken loud and clear. I will oppose any effort by JTA, a regional state agency, to bring back tolls that would make it even more expensive to drive i