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 the wheelchair-designated disabled-plate symbol. Several council members pressed Barnett on timelines, communications and accommodations; veterans’ advocates and councilmembers asked JAA to restore prior privileges or to adopt clearer, targeted mitigations during construction.

Details and council questions Barnett described two different DMV-issued disabled-plate designations: one that indicates a wheelchair-specific mobility impairment and a general disabled-veteran plate that does not. Under the temporary operations plan, drivers with wheelchair-designated plates can continue to use closer garages and service lots; drivers with general disabled-veteran plates have been directed to economy lots and a shuttle service.

Council members asked for specific data Barnett did not have on hand: the total number of current parking spaces at JIA, the share occupied by disabled-veteran tags on peak days and typical walking distances from economy lots versus garages. Barnett answered that the airport is targeting about two years for the construction phase, but that the schedule could be shorter or longer. She said shuttles provide climate-controlled transfers from the economy lots to terminals.

Veteran concerns and council requests Councilman Rory Arias, a disabled veteran, told Barnett the change “rubbed me the wrong way” and pressed for numbers and accommodations, noting some veterans intentionally do not carry a wheelchair symbol despite mobility impairment. Council members asked whether valet, TSA accommodations, or expedited security lanes could be used as mitigations. Barnett said she would ask management about valet operations and noted that TSA handles expedited screening; she said she has instructed staff to add clearer temporary messaging on signs and the airport website, and to coordinate outreach to veteran groups.

Several council members and the committee asked JAA to: - Provide exact counts of current parking capacity and the number of disabled-veteran-tagged vehicles using garage/hourly spaces versus economy lots on busy days; and - Report back with options for targeted accommodations (valet, designated shuttle protocol, expedited screening badges) and a clearer timeline for restoration when construction is complete.

What JAA says it has done Barnett said JAA management has updated signage to emphasize that the change is temporary and has publicized parking-availability charts on its website. She characterized the holiday travel period the airport had just completed as the busiest in the airport’s history and said management prioritized keeping hourly/garage spaces available for short-term users while opening economy lots with shuttles for longer-term parkers.

Where it goes from here Council members asked staff and Barnett to follow up with the Aviation Authority’s management with specific data and to explore operational mitigations for veterans. Barnett said she appreciated the feedback and offered to meet with council members and veterans’ organizations to refine communications and accommodations.

Ending: Barnett said JAA does not intend to profit from the change and that the authority is self-funded; she emphasized the change is an operational response to lot closures during a major renovation and promised further follow-up to the committee.