Flagler Beach City Manager Dale Martin on Tuesday provided an update to local media about the termination of Fire Chief Stephen Cox on Monday. In a gathering at the Flagler Beach Fire Department, he confirmed that response times would remain unaffected thanks to staffing assistance from Flagler County Fire Rescue.
Cox’s firing was preceded by the resignations of several FBFD employees. Some of those, including Deputy Chief Jennifer Fiveash, alluded to Cox’s leadership as a factor which contributed to their decision. Fiveash referenced “professional differences in leadership approach” and advocated for “cohesion at the administrative level built on trust”.
The exact circumstances that led to Cox’s firing still remain somewhat unclear. Martin stated that there are no documents detailing his investigation of the employees’ complaints other than existing resignation letters, a letter of no confidence signed by seven employees, and Martin’s own termination letter. Martin did not describe any specific events that eroded employees’ confidence in their chief.
“When the message was consistent across all employees, that was the moment I came to my realization that there’s a loss of confidence in Chief Cox by all of the line staff,” Martin said. He also revealed that he gave Cox the opportunity to resign with severance, but that Cox declined.
To Cox’s credit, Martin dispelled the notion that there was any criminal activity or misconduct during Cox’s tenure as chief. He consistently framed the decision as one based on Cox’s compatibility with the leadership role inherent to a Flagler Beach Fire Chief. No disciplinary action was taken against Cox by Martin.
The staff members who have resigned in recent weeks were contacted about returning to their positions, Martin said, but all remained convicted in their decision to pursue other opportunities. Jennifer Fiveash is returning temporarily to serve as acting chief, as is Lieutenant Morgan Rainey also on a temporary basis.
