JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Federal Aviation Administration appears to be stepping into the dispute between the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and new Jacksonville City Council President Nick Howland.
In an newly obtained email from Action News Jax’s Ben Becker, the FAA said there is “serious concern” with reports that JAA executive leadership had faced threats of personnel action for following federal guidelines.
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While the agency said it doesn’t get involved with local political or personnel disputes, it said it will “vigorously enforce current compliance with federal grant obligations.”
Action News Jax Investigates obtained documents between JAA’s chief compliance officer, Devin J. Reed, and JAA chairman David Hodges from February.
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In it, Reed said in part, “CM Howland has told Tony Cugno and me that ‘if you keep undermining my economic development efforts, there will be hell to pay.’”
Cugno is JAA’s chief operating officer.
We first told you last August about the dispute between JAA and Howland.
In a letter dated Thursday, the FAA highlighted several proposals it said JAA leadership is being pressured to support.
This includes illegally using JAA’s own cash reserves to fund city projects, change existing aeronautical lease agreements to reassign a hangar lease to FSCJ, and finance the construction of a vocational-technical school.
Howland responded to JAA’s letter, saying in part, “Regarding extraordinary pressure, the only changes made at JAA involved three budget amendments approved by Jacksonville City Council and one charter change made by the Florida State Legislature. Lawmaking, in my book, does not count as an ‘extraordinary external pressure.’”
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