St. Petersburg council member calls for ‘change’ at fire department

St. Petersburg City Council member Richie Floyd called for a “change in leadership” at St. Petersburg Fire Rescue on Wednesday morning after learning about employee comments in a city survey that describe a hostile work environment there.

Several comments, which were forwarded anonymously to city officials two weeks ago, accuse Fire Chief Jim Large of not fostering an equitable workplace for minorities. They go on to accuse Large of making sexist, racist and homophobic remarks.

“It’s clear after hearing from them that they are not being treated with the respect they deserve, and the issues go beyond what’s been reported so far,” Floyd posted on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I’m grateful for Chief Large’s faithful service to our city, but nothing is more important than dignity on the job,” Floyd continued in his post. “It’s for this reason that I believe it’s time for a change in leadership, & our Fire department employees should have the first say in who their next leader is.”

Mayor Ken Welch issued a statement about the survey results late Friday, three weeks after receiving a 240-page report that summarized the survey’s findings.

In a subsequent statement, the city has said officials are still working through the employee survey feedback they received around July 4 and are “developing plans of action at both the citywide and departmental levels to address any issues raised by our employees.” Spokesperson Erica Riggins referred a reporter on Wednesday to that statement, which included data on minority hiring.

Criticisms over Large’s administration are not new. A 2014 report by a committee of then-Mayor Rick Kriseman’s transition team called for Large’s replacement, in part for not having enough minorities in senior ranks. Currently, only five officers out of 78 total are Black.

“This is about the dignity and respect of working people, and the city needs to step up and support our fire rescue employees and department,” Floyd wrote.

Floyd told the Tampa Bay Times that he has spoken with employees within the fire department, but not with Large. He said he was meeting with members of the administration Wednesday to discuss the issue.

“It’s clear to me that there’s been an incredibly large contingent of employees that are not happy with the way the fire department’s been run and the way the city has supported the fire department,” he said.

In a texted statement, City Council member Gina Driscoll said she could not offer an opinion on any change of leadership before knowing the whole story.

“I’ve spoken with the administration about the comments received and I’m confident that this will be handled appropriately,” she wrote. “We need to allow the process to be fair to everyone involved.”

City Council member Copley Gerdes said he trusted the mayor and administration to take any necessary steps.

“We need to come up with a plan to make sure that’s getting better,” he said. “I’m obviously concerned about how our firefighters and paramedics and first responders feel about their workplace. The administration and City Council need to come up with a path to make sure we’re moving the needle.”

Other council members did not respond to requests for comment submitted by text Wednesday morning or to follow-up phone calls in the afternoon.