POLK COUNTY, Fla. — One day after former Polk County Fire Rescue Chief Anthony Stravino abruptly resigned, the county has a new interim fire chief.
- County manager named Robert Weech Interim Fire Chief
- Weech joined Polk Fire Rescue in 2017
- Previously Weech worked for City of Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue
- More Polk County stories
County Manager Robert Weech announced the appointment of Robert Weech to the post Wednesday.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to appoint Rob Weech to this leadership position in Fire Rescue,” said Freeman. “Rob not only has had a distinguished career as a firefighter/paramedic, but has been extremely valuable to Polk County in helping analyze incident data, developing our personnel resources and strategically planning for future growth in the division as the county’s population continues to grow. I have great confidence that Rob will move the agency forward.”
Weech joined the agency in February 2017 as Deputy Fire Chief of Logistics and Special Services.
Prior to his career in Polk County, Weech served in South Florida as a firefighter for City of Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue, rising to the post of assistant chief of administration in 2008. Weech remained with that agency as it was merged with other operations, eventually earning the position of assistant chief of operations.
Weech's appointment comes after the resignation of Stravino, which came in the wake of a two-month independent investigation into firefighters' actions while responding to a Lakeland fire in November 2018 that claimed the life of 76-year-old Loretta Pickard.