ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Chief is out on administrative leave.

Mayor Ken Welch made the announcement Monday morning, in the wake of allegations that Chief James Large fostered a hostile workplace environment.

In the memo, Welch said that Assistant Fire Chief Robert Bassett will serve as acting Fire Chief while Large is on leave.

Monday afternoon, the mayor released more about the decision in a video his office posted on YouTube. It said, in part:

"You also may be aware of a number of troubling comments and allegations regarding the fire department, including allegations of bullying and discrimination.

“Chief Large, like any employee, has the right to respond to these allegations. And he has denied all wrongdoing and any impropriety. Secondly, under my administration, we will address such issues in a direct and transparent way, in accordance with our core principle of intentional equity." (You can watch the full video below.)

The decision to place Large on leave followed an employee climate survey and discussions with workers. Large is accused of making homophobic, racist and sexist remarks.

Large has worked for the city’s fire department for nearly 50 years, serving as fire chief since 2006.

The survey was conducted by the city’s nearly 3,600-employee base in July.

He is accused in the survey of holding the department back from being an inclusive workplace for minorities and women.

In the comments from city employees, one person wrote, "Chief Large has publicly stated his disdain for LGBTQ lifestyle in fire stations.” Another comment said, “Management doesn’t treat all races equally.”

Last year, Large was awarded Fire Chief of the Year by the Florida Fire Chiefs Association for his exceptional leadership skills.

A city spokesperson last week told us that since his promotion to fire chief, 49% of the 262 uniformed personnel hired have been in a minority or protected class.

The statement continued, “He has kept all administrations updated on diversity efforts and overall hiring challenges that have plagued the fire services industry at a national level, especially with the spike in retirements and job changes due to the pandemic."

Spectrum News reached out to the firefighter’s union Monday but has not heard back.