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St. Pete fire chief retiring next month
Ariel Plasencia reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The city of St. Petersburg announced Fire Chief Jim Large will retire on March 1.
Large spent 18 years as fire chief during a 50-year career with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
"He stated last year that he planned to retire in 2024 at this major milestone in his career and I look forward to guiding SPFR's transition into this next phase of leadership," Mayor Ken Welch said in an online statement. "We are grateful to Chief Large for his lifetime of service and commitment to public safety. We wish him and his family all the best in his future endeavors."
Last August, Large was at the center of an investigation due to allegations of bullying and discrimination.
Welch made the decision to place the chief on administrative leave "after numerous conversations and feedback received from multiple individuals, along with the allegations made and information received in the Employee Climate Survey, as well as other information received," according to the mayor’s Aug. 5 memo.
Large denied all the allegations and said he worked to increase diversity within the department.
As part of the investigation, Welch said he and his team conducted multiple interviews with department personnel, the community, and human resources.
On Aug. 23, Welch said he found nobody with first-hand experience of racial, homophobic, or sexist comments from the chief.
"Given the lack of evidence that he violated city policy and insufficient proof or documentation of inappropriate statements being made, I have concluded my review of this matter, and I am reinstating Chief Large," Mayor Welch said in a video statement.
Welch said that only one human resources complaint had been filed against Chief Large during his then 17-year tenure as chief and his 49 years with the department. He added that the complaint was determined to be unsubstantiated.
However, Mayor Welch went on to state that while there are no formal complaints against Chief Large, there are allegations of bullying and intimidation in recent media coverage. The mayor said those allegations will be investigated if and when a formal complaint is filed with the human resources department.
The mayor’s office confirmed Monday that Welch was made aware of a controversial photo posted to social media in December.
That picture landed in an online article in the Tampa Bay Times and shows a smiling Chief Large holding a mug that says ‘Go ahead, call HR.’
Less than a month after receiving the picture, the city made the announcement on Jan. 18 that Large will be retiring March 1.
The mayor declined to comment on the matter Monday.
Large’s attorney, Jay Hebert, sent FOX 13 a written statement, which reads:
"Once again, self-serving parties with an agenda are trying to create an issue. Did it ever occur to anyone that after 49 years of exemplary service and an HR investigation, and subsequently being cleared of any wrongdoing, the chief and his family, on Christmas morning, were personally relieved to be cleared of any issues involving HR? The picture reflects that. He retires after 50 years of service. This is a non-issue."
According to the mayor’s office, the national search for the next Fire Chief begins in earnest this month.