“Winning is easy, governing’s harder,” says George Washington in the Broadway musical Hamilton. This could the case for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District as its new administrator has reopened contract negotiations with firefighters for the district. This comes after the firefighters had already voted on a previously agreed upon contract.
The firefighters voted and approved the contract. However, the board for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District did not do the same. It also appears that they don’t have any intention of doing so in this week’s coming meeting as it is not on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting. This could cause some cooling of what looked like a warm relationship between the new district and the firefighters. The contract was negotiated by former District Administrator John Classe, who has since been replaced by the board with Glenton Gilzean, an ally of Governor Ron DeSantis.
The contract that was approved by around 200 firefighters and first responders in the district would have seen annual starting pay for firefighters increase to $65,000, up from $55,000. It would also have seen the hiring of three dozen more firefighters and paramedics.
Since the new board for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (former the Reedy Creek Improvement District), Jon Shirey, who leads the firefighter union had praised the new leadership for the district. He previously has praised the new leadership for visiting firehouses around the district and said that it was “an opportunity for a fresh start.”
“Almost overnight, a change occurred that we have never experienced — transparency, open dialogue, the ability to sit down and have our issues heard and felt listened to,” Shirey said to the board last month. “You have been able to build bridges that were long burned.”
Chairman of the board Martin Garcia shared that the feeling was mutual last month and said the board also had other employees to look after in the district as well. With the reopening of negotiations the era of good feelings between the firefighters and the board could end.
Spokesperson Alexei Woltornist told the Associated Press that negotiations with the firefighters union are continuing. In an email sent to the AP, Woltornist said “Administrator Gilzean is actively working with the fire department to finalize a deal that offers a competitive compensation package and gives firefighters the resources they need to protect the public.” The firefighters union had no comment on the ongoing negotiations.
What do you think of the reopening of negotiations between the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and the firefighters union? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
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