PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Pete Fire Rescue Chief Jim Large, who’s currently on administrative leave, let his attorney do most of the talking during a Friday afternoon news conference, but Large made one thing clear: he has no plans to step down or resign despite calls for his ouster.
“I remain committed to this city and to protecting it. This is where I’ve spent most of my life. I love this city, but it’s necessary for my family and I to defend ourselves,” he said.
Allegations against Large and the culture of his fire department were brought to light in a recent anonymous employee survey in which a few dozen responses called out the fire department’s diversity. Other responses criticized its treatment of minorities.
The mayor's office got the survey results back in early July. They also included allegations of discrimination against people with disabilities, concerns about how people are promoted within the department, and comments on morale.
Those allegations prompted two council members and the local NAACP branch to call for Large’s removal as chief.
“Fire Chief Large does serve his employees in accordance with the standards that have been laid out by this administration,” Esther Matthews, the branch president, said during a city council meeting last week.
In the Friday news conference, however, Large’s attorney, Jay Hebert, defended the chief’s character and released a 56-page report with dozens of letters and texts supporting the chief.
“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,” Hebert said. “And Jim Large is one of those people.”
Hebert, however, acknowledged that there is room for growth at St. Pete Fire Rescue. He said the department’s diversity in leadership should be better, but he said Large is committed to breaking the barriers preventing that.
“He wants to be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” Hebert said.
Large fate as chief is still unknown. For now, he’s on administrative leave as the office of Mayor Ken Welch conducts a review.
“Once we conclude our review, I will share our next steps,” Welch said in a recent YouTube video.
Last week, Councilwoman Gina Driscoll put forward a motion for the city to try and conduct a management study on the fire department to see where it can improve.
Council members will discuss a budget and a scope for that study at a meeting on August 24.
