The next chief executive of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the agency that runs buses, light rail and GoLink service in Plano and 11 other cities, will be paid $515,000 a year, according to documents obtained by FOX 4 News.
Nathaniel Ford Sr., whom the DART board selected in July, is expected to start Oct. 26. His DART salary is higher than the $399,949 he was reported to earn as chief executive of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Florida, and higher than the reported pay of Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert and of the head of Los Angeles' transit system, FOX 4 reported Wednesday.
The same documents show Ford gave the Jacksonville authority a resignation date of Jan. 8, 2027, according to FOX 4, which said DART had not answered its question about Ford holding both jobs at once.
Records sought in Florida
The Florida attorney general's Office of Statewide Prosecution has subpoenaed records from the Jacksonville authority, including emails and text messages involving Ford, his spouse and the owner of a consulting firm, The Dallas Morning News reported last week.
The subpoena covers 2023 to 2025 and asks for tuition reimbursement records, payments for massages and murals, card statements and ridership reports for the authority's autonomous vehicle program, according to the News. Jacksonville officials confirmed receiving it Sept. 29, the paper reported, citing the Florida outlet Jacksonville Today.
FOX 4 described the inquiry as a criminal investigation and said subpoenas also name Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan. The Jacksonville authority faces a $40 million budget shortfall that is forcing route reductions and staff cuts, FOX 4 reported, and its NAVI autonomous shuttle system, launched under Ford, is set to shut down Dec. 31.
The subpoena gives the authority until Tuesday, Oct. 20, to produce the records, according to FOX 4.
Ford, DART board Chair Randall Bryant and the search firm DART used did not respond to FOX 4's requests for comment.
