St. Johns County Fire Chief resigns, creating restructuring of administration

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County Fire Rescue Department has announced that Fire Chief Scott Bullard has resigned, effective Mon., Oct. 2.

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Battalion Chief Sean McGee will take over as acting Fire Chief. The move is said to be a “temporary restructuring.”

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Bullard was named Fire Chief in May 2023. He replaced Chief Jeffrey Prevatt, who retired in December 2022.

“County Administration believes the leadership assigned in the temporary restructuring will continue to move St. Johns Fire Rescue forward and operate from a mindset of supporting the operations side of the department and professional individuals that serve in it,” acting Fire Chief McGee said.

McGee has been with St. Johns County Fire Rescue for 25 years, starting as a firefighter, and was promoted to various ranks in the department. He has served as Battalion Chief for the past 11 years.

Interim County Administrator Joy Andrews issued the following statement:

“The County thanks Scott for his service to the community during the past 21 years in his various roles in the Fire Rescue Department. As part of the County’s ongoing efforts to reshape our organization’s culture that values respect, open communication, and staying true to our commitment to promote unity and trust, we embark on a national search for a Fire Rescue leader who will play a pivotal role in embracing the principles of servant leadership. Our new fire chief will prioritize the needs of our team members, empowering them to achieve their best and ensuring their voices are heard. The issue of public safety and our commitment in terms of resources, staffing, and employee safety will remain our priority.”

—  Interim County Administrator Joy Andrews

The temporary reshuffling of the fire rescue administration will be followed by a national search for a permanent fire chief. This includes getting help from a professional executive search firm and a hiring committee as part of finding a new, permanent replacement.

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“We support this search effort and feel that it will facilitate the values we embrace, which is pride in protecting property, lives, and the St. Johns County community,” President of the St. Johns County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association David Stevens said. “We are excited and grateful to be a part of the process to select the next Fire Chief.”

As part of the temporary restructuring, the Board of County Commissioners said that Deputy Chief Stephanie Whaley will move into the assistant chief position and Assistant Chief Jeremy Robshaw will be the department’s communications director/public information officer.

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