Riviera Beach council debates fire department leadership structure; investigation separate from recruitment, officials say

Riviera Beach council members discussed proposed changes to emergency‑services leadership Aug. 19, raising concerns about consistency between police and fire department hierarchies and the effect of an ongoing personnel investigation on promotions.

City Manager Jonathan Evans told the council the question before members was whether the city should adopt a more linear police‑style chain of command (chief → deputy chief → assistant chief) or the alternative proposed for fire, which would create two assistant chiefs with parity rather than a deputy and an assistant. Evans warned the board to avoid personnel discussions in public while an investigation remains open and said, if the council reconfigures titles so the two roles are peers, “the recruitment process would have to start over.”

Fire Chief John Curt confirmed allegations related to one senior fire‑department position are under investigation and said the department has not finalized a promotion while the probe continues. Curt summarized the department’s operational rationale for a reorganization as a desire for “span of control” and an incident‑command‑style matrix rather than a single linear chain of command.

Council members asked for consistency across emergency services and questioned whether differing structures would affect service levels. Councilmember Bruce Guyton said the city needs “consistency or justification in any varying structure, as it relates especially to emergency services.” Another council member raised concerns that a previously public campaign sought to block or derail the elevation of a particular fire official; the manager and chief said the investigation is distinct from any recruitment or promotion timeline and that staff would return with a recommended structure for the board to adopt.

What the meeting recorded

- The deputy chief position in the fire department has been vacant for over a year after the incumbent retired; the city previously had only a chief and deputy chief prior to later adding an assistant chief. - The manager and fire chief said the department has requested a reorganization to create parity among two assistant chiefs to increase span of control; if the board adopts parity the recruitment process would restart for the affected positions. - The investigation into allegations involving a senior fire official is ongoing and, per staff, is separate from the recruitment process.

No formal personnel action was taken during the workshop; council members asked staff to return with a clear recommendation and cautioned about public discussion of individual personnel matters.

Ending

Staff told the council the reorganization decision is a policy question for the elected board and that any filling of a senior seat will await completion of the investigation or a reconstituted recruitment process if the board changes titles.