Driving the Future Through Community-Based Innovation
The first time I saw a Waymo pull beside me at a red light in Phoenix, I knew I was witnessing the future. A driverless car navigating city streets with no one behind the wheel—it doesn’t get cooler than that.
Until I went to Jacksonville.
Phoenix showed me a glimpse of tomorrow. Jacksonville showed me what the future looks like when a community comes together to scale it. What I saw there was an entire city rethinking how people move, live, and learn—using autonomous mobility as the catalyst. In Jacksonville, self-driving shuttles aren’t the endgame. They’re the building blocks of something much bigger: a community-led, workforce-powered, future-ready transportation ecosystem.
And it all started with an aging monorail.
The Skyway’s Sunset Became a Sunrise
Perched above downtown Jacksonville, the Skyway once stood as a symbol of modern mobility. Launched in 1989, the elevated monorail system connected the pulse points of the city—riverfront parks, a growing college campus, museums, hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and the convention center. For a while, it represented hope, progress, and civic ambition.
But decades passed. Ridership fell. Repairs grew more expensive. And like many legacy systems across America, the Skyway approached a crossroads: update it, scrap it, or rethink it entirely.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) chose the boldest path. They saw opportunity in obsolescence and asked a transformational question:
What if the Skyway could become the spine of a next-generation mobility network?
The Birth of the U²C: A Citywide Rethink
That question led to the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U²C)—a bold, multi-phase vision to modernize the Skyway, extend service through the urban core along the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, and expand into nearby neighborhoods to improve access to jobs, education, healthcare, and opportunity.
The goal is ambitious: to build a national model for smart-city mobility and autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment. But just as compelling as the technology is the approach behind it. Jacksonville didn’t fall for the myth that innovation happens through tech alone. Instead, the city built a coalition of changemakers—each playing a distinct role in shaping the future:
Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA): The Visionary Architect
As the transit authority, JTA could have played it safe. Instead, it embraced the role of innovation engine—leading community engagement sessions, testing multiple vehicle platforms, and launching pilots across the city. They built two test tracks. Deployed Florida’s first autonomous campus shuttle. Created a roadmap to scale. And did something no other agency had done: They launched the nation’s first AV revenue service for public transit.
Vision alone wasn’t enough—but it set the foundation.
Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ): The Talent Accelerator
If AVs were going to be the future, Jacksonville needed workers ready to build, maintain, and operate them. That’s where Florida State College at Jacksonville stepped in. Partnering with JTA and autonomous tech company Beep, FSCJ became the state’s first college to offer a full curriculum in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and AV technology.
Students can now:
- Earn a stackable ADAS certificate
- Learn braking, diagnostics, and autonomous systems
- Train with real AVs on campus
It’s responsive education at its best—industry-aligned, future-focused, and engineered for the workforce of tomorrow. It reflects a powerful truth: workforce innovation is economic development.
Beep: The Mobility Operator
Beep brought the tech backbone—AI-powered shuttle networks, safety oversight, and geofenced operations. But even more importantly, they served as the operational bridge between aspiration and implementation. Their partnership ensured Jacksonville didn’t just test autonomous mobility—it operationalized it.
Innovation met execution.
HOLON: A New Chapter in Manufacturing
Success attracts investment. And in 2024, global AV manufacturer HOLON announced it would build a production facility in Jacksonville—officially becoming Florida’s first automotive vehicle manufacturer.
Why Jacksonville? Because the city had already laid the groundwork: the talent pipeline, the technology ecosystem, and the transit innovation to support it.
HOLON’s arrival is projected to generate $200M in construction spending, more than 800 new jobs, and $87M in annual economic output beginning in 2028. For HOLON, the Jacksonville plant marks a major milestone in advancing its mission to deliver inclusive, emission-free, sustainable transportation—tackling urban congestion, climate pressures, and demographic shifts head-on.
It’s the kind of win-win that signals a new era for Jacksonville—and a glimpse of what the future of transportation can look like everywhere.
The Future Is Already Moving
The U²C isn’t a vision—it’s a system already in motion.
NAVI (Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation) launched in June 2025, becoming the nation’s first permanent autonomous public transit service (other driverless services, like Waymo, are privately owned). With seating for nine, these Ford E-Transit vans—equipped with autonomous driving kits—are ADA accessible and monitored by a human operator for safety.
NAVI makes 12 stops along the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, linking downtown to the sports and entertainment district—with plans to expand service soon.
Jacksonville isn’t waiting for the future. It’s building it—block by block.
View from the Back Seat
In late February 2025, we hosted AFIT’s 2025 CEO Forum & Reps Meeting at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where our members got a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the city’s autonomous vehicle pilot—examining the shuttle up close, meeting the teams driving the innovation, and seeing the U²C vision come to life.
By the time we reconvened for our 2025 Summer Institute, in July, NAVI was officially on the road—and our members climbed aboard.
As my team and I made our way down Bay Street, it struck me: this isn’t a prototype.
It’s a playbook—one that shows how a city can turn yesterday’s infrastructure into tomorrow’s innovation.
The Jacksonville ecosystem reminds us that:
- Workforce innovation drives economic development
- Curriculum must evolve at the speed of industry
- Students deserve hands-on access to emerging technologies
- Colleges can anchor entire innovation ecosystems
What’s Your Skyway?
In Jacksonville, a fading transit system became the launchpad for one of the boldest autonomous mobility transformations in the country—not because of luck, but because of visionary leadership and strategic community partnership.
What legacy system in your community could be reimagined? And how might you or your organization become the catalyst that turns yesterday’s infrastructure into tomorrow’s innovation?
🙏 Special thanks to Dr. John Avendano and the Florida State College at Jacksonville team; Nat Ford, Greer Johnson Gillis, and the JTA team; and Toby McGraw, Rachel Hansen, and the Beep team for showing me the way.
✨ This essay was researched and written by me, with editing support from AI.
About Erika Liodice
Erika Liodice is an innovation leader, speaker, and the creator of The Road to Innovation — a national storytelling project exploring how bold ideas and visionary leaders are reshaping the future of higher education and beyond. As CEO of the Alliance for Innovation & Transformation (AFIT), Erika partners with leaders and change makers to reimagine the future of higher education.
Learn more at erikaliodice.com