Jacksonville City Council President reflects on leadership as JFRD Chief Keith Powers steps down
After nearly three decades of service, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Keith Powers is preparing to retire, city officials confirmed.
Powers will step down on June 30, ending a 29-year career that included six years at the helm of one of the largest fire departments in the country. His departure marks what city leaders are calling the 'end of an era.'
Under Powers' leadership, JFRD launched innovative programs such as mobile stroke and critical care units, emergency access teams for storms, and a scholarship initiative for student-athletes.
City Council President Randy White — himself a former firefighter — said Powers' impact has left a lasting mark on the department and the city.
'You're leading 1,800 men and women. You have to have a leader that people want to follow,' White said. 'We certainly had that in Chief Powers. Someone's going to have to have high marks to do that job and do that successfully.'
White said he's known Powers since before he joined JFRD, recalling their first meeting during a deployment after Hurricane Andrew.
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'I knew him before he was a firefighter,' White said. 'We worked together, had many runs together when he was out in the field. He's a good guy.'
Earlier this month, Action News Jax ran a story about a JFRD battalion chief who was highly critical of the department's leadership and its handling of a cargo ship fire and explosion in 2020. Some of that criticism was aimed at Powers.
White said Powers' decision to retire is based on timing, and nothing else.
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'That's just fodder. None of that's true. I don't know if you're familiar with the DROP Program (Deferred Retirement Option Program)," White said. 'After you go on the DROP Program, you can stay five more years. And he was in his fourth year. He would've had to leave anyway in a year.'
Action News Jax asked the city if Powers' retirement wasn't entirely by choice, or if he was forced out, and a spokesperson said, 'It's not true in any way, shape, or form.'
The city says a search for Powers' successor is already underway. A new chief is expected to be in place by July 1.
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