Council committee gets ball rolling on formal review of St. Pete Fire Rescue

Wednesday, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch announced his decision to reinstate Jim 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.