Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing vaccine mandate won’t get his job back

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A former Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing the county’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will not get his job back, a board ruled on Monday.

Stephen Davis has been off the job since October. The union said he was supposed to write up firefighters who were not following the mayor’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate starting Oct. 5, but refused leading to his firing two weeks later.

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After hours of discussion on Monday, Davis’ grievance was denied. Davis offered to be reinstated so he could resign, as he already has a new job, but the board denied that in a two-to-one vote.

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The board making the decision said that it was clear that Davis didn’t follow orders and that was what this was all about, so his termination sticks.

He can go to arbitration, but that could take months or even a year.

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Video: Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing vaccine mandate defends his decision Channel 9 spoke one-on-one with the former Orange County battalion chief at the heart of a new battle over the county’s vaccine mandate. (Shannon Butler, WFTV.com)

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