Polk County Commission approves new fire chief

The Polk County Commission has approved the hiring of Hezedean A. Smith as Polk County Fire Rescue Chief.

Smith comes from Charlottesville, Virginia, where he has served as fire chief since 2020. Before that, he spent nearly 25 years with the Orlando Fire Department before retiring as an assistant fire chief.

Previously: Assistant Polk fire chief to take over in interim capacity at end of July

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Commissioners voted to ratify Smith’s hiring during Tuesday’s regular meeting. Smith, appointed to the position by Polk County Manager Bill Beasley, will begin work on Nov. 7.

Smith, 53, served in the United States Air Force as a medical service specialist from 1988 to 1992, Polk County said in a news release. He joined the fire department in Apopka, a city in Orange County, before moving to the Orlando Fire Department in 1996, the release said.

“Hezedean Smith has 34 years of experience in the emergency services profession,” Beasley said in the release. “He’s a proven leader, and his experience will help protect and serve the residents of Polk County.”

During his time in Charlottesville, Smith hired the most diverse recruiting class at the fire department in 166 years, the release said. He also created new positions without increasing the department’s budget.

“I’m excited to start work as the Polk County Fire Rescue Chief,” Smith said in the release. “I plan to build strong relationships within the organization and the community. We will be an inclusive, can-do, high-performing, 21st-century team that the community can count on.”

Smith, who has a doctorate in management from the University of Phoenix, will receive an annual salary of $160,000.

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The position became open when the previous chief, Rob Weech, left in July to become fire chief for Lighthouse Point, a city of about 10,000 in Broward County. Assistant Fire Chief Rick Parnell had been serving as interim chief.

At the time that Parnell was named interim chief, Beasley said Parnell was not pursuing a permanent appointment and planned to retire in a couple of years.

Beasley said after Weech's departure that the county would conduct a nationwide search for a new chief.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County hires former Orlando assistant as new fire chief