Jacksonville Aviation Authority explains temporary change moving some disabled-veteran parking to economy lots

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority chair told the City Council Rules Committee on Jan. 6 that a recent operational change directing some disabled-veteran vehicles to economy parking lots is temporary and driven by construction and short-term capacity constraints.

Michelle Bedoya Barnett, chair of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, said the authority’s management—not the board—made the change while the airport undergoes a major renovation and several lots are temporarily offline. “There has not been a day since the law was implemented in 2001 that disabled veterans showing the appropriate tag have not received free parking at JIA,” Barnett said. She explained the airport operates four facilities and is adding roughly 2,700 spaces over the next two years as part of renovation and expansion work, and that management decided to use economy lots plus shuttle service to preserve hourly/garage capacity for short-term users.

Why it matters: Council members who represent strong veteran constituencies raised concerns that the change burdens veterans who are mobility-impaired but do not have…