ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — An emotional Jim Large returned to his post as chief of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Thursday morning after a tumultuous few weeks.
Weeks ago, Large was placed on administrative leave and had to defend his record and character after some responses to an anonymous employee survey called his leadership into question.
Some of the responses criticized his department's diversity and treatment of minorities.
“In my business, I deal with people that have done bad things, and I know when I have a case that has clear evidence that my client might be guilty, and I know when my client is 100% not guilty,” Large’s attorney, Jay Hebert, said in a news conference last week. “And Jim Large is one of those people.”
Wednesday, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch announced his decision to reinstate Large after conducting interviews with employees past and present.
“No one had firsthand knowledge or evidence of racial, homophobic, or sexist comments from the Chief,” Welch said, in part, in a video message. “Firefighters from diverse backgrounds have come forward to testify as to the professionalism of Chief Large’s management conduct.”
However, the oversight of Large and his department’s culture may not end there.
Thursday, a city council committee unanimously voted to get the ball rolling on a more formal review of St. Pete Fire Rescue’s operations and management.
In the coming months, council members plan to hire an independent consultant to conduct that review.
Council member Gina Driscoll called for the review.
“I have always had a good relationship with Chief Large,” she told ABC Action News.
Despite that good relationship, Driscoll believes the review will help improve the department by examining not only its leadership and morale but also its staffing, training, and equipment to ensure the public is as safe as possible in a city that’s growing daily.
“No matter how this goes, I think it’s going to be a great thing for our fire department,” she said.
Driscoll said the review will take time. In the coming months, council members will figure out the “scope” of the review before hiring a consultant to conduct it. She hopes a consultant is hired and in the early stages of its review by the end of the year.
