Residents and firefighters urge city to address pay, staffing gaps

Dozens of residents and members of the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department told the City Commission Tuesday night that staffing and pay problems risk public safety and are already driving personnel away.

"We are already struggling to attract candidates and certainly will not be able to recruit experienced firefighter paramedics under the current pay and benefit structure," said Mariah Parker, who said she spoke on behalf of several neighbors. Firefighters and union representatives who followed repeated specific claims about pay gaps and hours: one speaker said department staff work about 2,912 hours per year, substantially above a typical 2,080-hour standard, and another said starting pay leaves many firefighters unable to live locally.

Union representative Brandon Carroll urged structural changes and cited a 10% pension contribution that, he said, reduces take-home pay compared with neighboring cities. Firefighter Josh Powers said the department is on pace to answer more than 8,000 calls this year, a nearly 25% increase over last year, and warned that development and seasonal population spikes will further stress staffing levels.

City staff and commissioners said a citywide pay study is already under way. The city manager noted prior contract adjustments in 2023–25 that increased certain incentives and provided cost-of-living adjustments, and said staff expects comparative pay-study results by the end of the month to inform negotiations. "What we need is facts," the manager said, describing a planned benchmarking process against peer communities.

The commission did not take immediate action at the meeting beyond directing staff to continue the pay study and negotiating in good faith; several commissioners urged clearer public communication to prevent misinformation about what the commission itself can authorize without a later public vote.