Firefighters’ union, county continue discussions

A Marion County Fire Rescue firefighter works as a raging fire consumes the Tizwhiz Feed and Hay facility in Reddick on Aug. 12, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]

Marion County negotiators and Professional Firefighters of Marion County union representatives met on Oct.13 as talks continue to iron out details for a fiscal year 2026/27 contract.

Meetings in August and September between the county and firefighters’ union focused on a possible change to a schedule with built-in time off known as a Kelly Day schedule. The proposed scheduling  could reduce average weekly work hours, for example, from 56 hours to 48 while maintaining pay rates and benefits to keep and retain skilled firefighters and medics.

Florida House Bill 929 was discussed in a previous meeting. The bill calls for hazardous chemical free gear for firefighters, monitoring of mental health and 42-hour work weeks.

The Oct. 13 meeting saw the county negotiators, led by Amanda Tart, respond to the union’s Kelly Day proposal.

“Today (Oct.13) the county’s management team…responded to the union’s proposal, submitted on Aug. 12, which included a Kelly Day schedule for all fire-based employees and a 24/72-hour workweek for EMS-based employees,” Tart wrote in an email. “The county expressed willingness to consider implementing a Kelly Day schedule for fire employees, contingent upon concessions related to incentive hours, holiday hours and a personal day. With the implementation of a Kelly Day, all fire employees would gain an additional 17 days off per year.”

A county spokesperson stated in an email after the meeting that “implementing the Kelly Day schedule for fire personnel would require about 135 additional firefighters, at a cost of about $13 million more each year and bring MCFR to a 48-hour work week.”

The spokesperson stated that $9.6 million of the $13 million would be paid through fire assessment and the balance of $3.4 million would come from the county’s general fund.

Tart stated the county’s proposal for EMS employees.

“Regarding EMS employees, the county proposed no change to the current schedule but offered an increase of $1 per hour. This proposal also includes the same concessions related to incentive hours, holiday hours and a personal day,” Tart wrote.

“EMS employees have operated under a Kelly Day schedule since 2018,” Tart said.

Union local IAFF 3169 President Rolin Boyd and Second Vice President Joe Romani, both at the Oct.13 meeting, noted they have been studying scheduling at other Florida fire departments.

A map displayed by the union representatives indicated many Florida counties — about 29, including Marion — are “pursuing healthier work schedules” and four have been added since the August meeting.

The union representatives listened and will likely respond to the county’s proposals at the next meeting scheduled for Oct. 27.

“We have a lot to talk about,” Boyd said at the close of the Oct. 13 meeting.