ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Scott Bullard believes his departure from the St. Johns County Fire Chief position last week is political.
Bullard, a 22-year-veteran of the department, spoke with First Coast News this week. He said he and his leadership team were forced out of their positions last week, unexpectedly.
Now, he just wants to be able to work for the fire department again.
Bullard told First Coast News that Deputy St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews gave him an ultimatum on Monday, October 2nd.
"She gave me the option of resigning or being terminated," Bullard said. "I was told they were going in a different direction. And that was the only reason I got." He added. "This literally came out of the blue (last) Monday morning."
Bullard said he did not give her an answer right away.
"And she said, 'Okay, tomorrow is fine,'" he recalled.
Hours later, the county issued a press release saying Bullard had resigned.
"And I was like, 'Well, wait a minute. I haven't resigned yet,'" he said.
Bullard’s personnel file includes complaints from the St. Johns County firefighters union about the kind of uniforms the chief had chosen, which they said were unsafe.
However, Bullard told First Coast News the firefighters union and the county eventually agreed to try them out. He pointed to a Memorandum of Understanding that states that, and it's signed by the union president and the former county administrator.
Bullard told First Coast News, "So I'm taking the fall for this. But as you can see, I'm not my signature is not even on there."
His file also includes a memo from Joy Andrews saying Bullard violated county policy by ending the use of vacation time for employees who ran out of sick leave. However, Bullard said he was directed to make that change.
"I sent that memo out at the direction of our Human Resources Director Lillan Hutchinson," Bullard said.
Documents from the county also include concerns over Bullard’s leadership during and leading up to Hurricane Idalia. However, he doesn't understand those concerns because he told First Coast News, "We used the same policy that we have always used. We had the same response level set up. We had everybody in position."
Bullard told First Coast News he was not the only one ousted.
"Basically, my entire staff was disassembled," he said.
First Coast News independently confirmed that three of his assistant chiefs have been removed from their positions. He said it was the same time he was told to resign or be terminated.
Bullard said this may be because the person who hired him -- former county administrator Hunter Conrad -- was also ousted. (Conrad officially resigned.) Conrad's successor is Joy Andrews, and she's the one who Bullard says gave him an ultimatum.
"It seems like there is a cleaning-house going on right now," Bullard told First Coast News. "And I am a casualty of that."
Bullard said he only had a few conversations with Conrad, and really did not know him well.
"There was no relationship there. I just happened to be appointed by him," Bullard noted.
Bullard hopes to revert to his position of battalion chief, but he said Andrews denied his request.
"She said it would make people uncomfortable, given my previous position as the fire chief," Bullard recalled.
He added, "I have done everything that has been asked of me and more. This is my livelihood. This is this is what I've done pretty much the majority of my adult life. I mean, it's all I've ever known and all I've ever wanted to do."
Bullard is three years away from retirement, and he told First Coast News if he can return, he he may not even stop working once he hits 25 years on the force.
He says he will know more about his request to revert to a battalion chief position soon.
First Coast News has submitted various questions to St. Johns County's Public Affairs Office asking about the reasons for Bullard’s departure. St. Johns County Public Affairs Director Wayne Larson provide Bullard’s volunteer resignation form and a letter from Bullard that says he was forced to resign.
In response to the questions, Larson provided this statement from Joy Andrews:
St. Johns County has one of the most amazing fire department teams, exemplified by physical and mental strength. Their remarkable resilience and determination has never wavered, even when faced with unexpected but necessary changes. Through a national search, we are optimistic we will be able to bring on a top-notch Fire Rescue leader who embraces the principle of servant leadership, who is not afraid of showing compassion and care for our team members, who recognizes the value of internal and external collaboration to ensure effective emergency response, who is able to build positive relationships with the community we serve and foster trust through open communication.