By Carl Fish
The recent investigation into the Polk County Fire Rescue Department has raised questions and concerns about the entire Polk County BOCC management. Management directly related to the fire rescue department would be the county manager, the deputy county manager, the equity HR manager, the program director of Equal Opportunity and PCFR Chief. Each of these individuals has a direct connection to the management of the county and direct interaction with the PCFR.
The current county manager is Bill Beasley. Per the county’s website “Polk County Manager Bill Beasley began his career with the County in 2006 as the Deputy County Manager over the county’s Infrastructure Group, which includes the divisions of Facilities Management, Fleet Management, Parks and Natural Resources, Real Estate Services, Roads and Drainage, Utilities and Waste and Recycling.
As the head of county government’s administrative branch, which is established by the Polk County Charter, Beasley is responsible for the proper administration of all affairs of the county. In his role, Beasley also executes the Board of County Commissioners policy direction, manages the county budget and staffing resources, engages in community relations, fosters economic development, confers in land use planning (environmental land, development, etc.) and ensures regulatory compliance.”
The significance of the county manager is that he is the head of everything. The numerous allegations against PCFR Chief Hezedean Smith all occurred under his supervision. So if they are found to be true or accurate, then he ultimately is responsible. What did Beasley know and when did he know it? L Additionally more investigations are underway within departments that work in conjunction to the PCFR. These investigations are disturbing as it shows additional issues may be going on in county management outside of the PCFR. We are currently seeking out the specific of those investigations and will share as information is released.
Editors Note: As of the posting of this article there has been no official statement regarding the investigation finding by county officials. An article by the Lakeland Ledger confirms no comments have been made yet.
The next person in direct connection is the county’s Deputy County Manager Joe Halman over Public Safety. If you will recall the investigation into the PCFR stemmed from the termination of Battalion Chief Charlie True who was deployed to a hurricane disaster zone. It was the Halman’s directive to work only 12 hour shifts. This started a confluence of several situations that led to the termination, then reinstatement (with demotion) of former Battalion Chief True. The recent PCFR investigation revealed a significant bias in how True’s disciplinary actions were conducted versus other PCFR personnel. DCM Halman was the direct cause of these issues. Additionally DCM Halman has had allegations of favoritism when it came to discipline of a fire captain James Williams in the death of a Lakeland woman in 2018 (Tampa Bay 10 Report). DCM Halman was proud to say he suspended captain Williams for 24 hours after the captain did not follow the county’s two in two out policy and shared Snapchat social media video of the fire while the Lakeland woman perished inside. Additionally disturbing is that DCM Halman dismissed accusations that PCFR personnel changed out white personnel on PCFR vehicles for black personnel during MLK parades around Polk County. “Halman denies that the County has swapped white employees for African American employees on apparatuses and states anyone is welcome to walk in the parades. However, he also advises that PDRTP graduates are put in the parade to highlight the program.” the recent PCFR investigation revealed. Emails have been obtained by the DailyRidge that clearly show white personnel being temporarily assigned to different units during MLK parades around the county. Either DCM Halman was unaware of what occurred under his leadership, misspoke to investigators or directly lied to investigators in his assessments of the situation. Recently a former PCFR captain has accused DCM Halman of belittling him during their interactions in a meeting regarding the termination of the captain. DCM Halman was the direct supervisor for embattled Chief Hezedean Smith and was instrumental in Chief Smith’s hiring.
The Equity and Human Resources manager Kandis Buford department is under a separate assessment by Matrix Consulting Group. This assessment stemmed from a required, every 8 years, Polk County Efficiency Commission compliance report. “The County will move forward to hire a skilled consultant to conduct a more comprehensive assessment of the EHR Division to include organizational structure, staffing, and related service efficiencies. This work will be initiated no later than July 2024.” per the report.” Former employees and a whistleblower are coming forward with complaints regarding EHR department. Buford is also the direct supervisor of the Equal Opportunity department which investigates all allegations and complaints. The recent PCFR investigation revealed many, many complaints about Chief H. Smith which were revealed to not be thoroughly investigated.
The Equal Opportunity Department and it’s Program Director are under scrutiny for how the conducted investigations into allegations. The program director Richard Bradford oversaw the questionable investigations into Chief Smith. An investigation into the department seem warranted considering the allegations in the PCFR Investigation report.
PCFR Chief Hezedean Smith has been the subject of several articles regarding his alleged conduct as chief and perpetuating a “Toxic” work environment. Those allegations could lead to his termination or resignation as soon as Friday (Report details ‘toxic’ workplace allegations at Polk County Fire Rescue)
Update: At 11:30am Friday the Polk County Administration has advised that PCFR Chief H. Smith has resigned
At this time a statement has not been released by the county administration or government. No comments have been given regards the allegations either. We will report on those statements as soon as they are released.
