St. Pete fire chief placed on administrative leave: ‘Nothing is more important than dignity on the job’

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The mayor of St. Petersburg placed Fire Chief James Large on administrative leave, according to a Saturday memo.

"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, Chief James Large is placed on Administrative Leave effective immediately," the Aug. 5 note sent to city council members reads.

Three days before this memo was sent, District 8 Councilmember Richie Floyd posted three comments about the situation on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Our Fire Rescue employees are crucial to our city. 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 wrote in a post dated Aug. 2.

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He followed that post with the following comment: "I'm grateful for Chief Large's faithful service to our city, but nothing is more important than dignity on the job. 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."

According to the St. Pete Fire Rescue website, Large was hired in 1974 and was appointed fire chief in February 2006. 

On Monday, St. Pete Mayor Kenneth T. Welch released a video statement and addressed placing Large on administrative leave:

"St. Petersburg Fire Chief James Large has been placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately. I understand there will be more questions revolving around this action, but at this time, this is a personnel matter.

St. Petersburg Fire Chief James Large. Image is courtesy of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue. 

It is important to underscore our executive team members are held to the highest standards and the administration did not take this decision lightly. The City will continue its assessment and evaluation of all circumstances while weighing the facts and information received via the Employee Climate Survey and thereafter.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue has always and will continue to deliver outstanding Fire and EMS services to protect the health and wellbeing of our community. Every day, we are thankful to our hardworking team members for their willingness to serve and unwavering commitment to duty and integrity.

Assistant Fire Chief Robert Bassett has agreed to serve as Acting Fire Chief in the interim."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.