The grand jury’s report was recently made public following an investigation into the 2022 Trauma Star diversion of controlled substances. The report makes 14 recommendations for Monroe County Fire Rescue (MCFR) and the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) stemming from a 2022 incident involving former Trauma Star chief flight nurse Lynda Rusinowski and missing drugs.
County staff is reviewing all of the recommendations and will discuss them with the board at its meeting Wednesday, Sept. 11, starting at 9 a.m. in the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo. That meeting will be viewable online and on MCTV.
Immediately following the incident, Monroe County took action to improve the drug accounting inventory system. Additional controls included implementing a computer-based inventory system, installing security cameras and new medical supply safes with biometric locks, and adding additional personnel for quality assurance and oversight.
Following the indictments of former County Administrator Roman Gastesi, Trauma Star division chief Andrea Thompson and former Medical Director Sandra Schwemmer, the Keys Weekly contacted representatives for all three defendants. All three either declined to comment or had not submitted a response by presstime.
Grand jury recommendations are included in bold, followed by county responses. The Keys Weekly edited certain suggestions and responses for length.
1. Roman Gastesi be immediately terminated from any and all Monroe County positions, including volunteer positions. Mr. Gastesti must never hold any position with Monroe County.
Gastesi’s volunteer status was terminated immediately following his indictment on Aug. 16, 2024. Gastesi had been serving as a volunteer adviser since he retired as county administrator in February 2024.
2. Andrea Thompson be immediately terminated from her position with MCFR and not be allowed to return or hold any position with MCFR or hold any position of trust with Monroe County.
Thompson was suspended without pay following her indictment. Her pre-determination hearing was scheduled for Aug. 30 but was delayed until Friday, Sept. 6.
3. Chief (James) Callahan be asked to resign as fire chief before the end of 2024 and the BOCC begin immediately the necessary steps to appoint a new fire chief who will oversee daily operations in the county and be on site.
After the 2022 incidents, Callahan returned to MCFR on a temporary basis when former Chief Steven Hudson retired. Monroe County administration is discussing Callahan’s retirement plans with him, and the county will determine how to move forward with a replacement chief.
4. We strongly recommend that MCSO allow firefighter/paramedics Damian Suarez and Harold Perez to return to Trauma Star as flight medics if they so choose, with back pay and Trauma Star flight pay from the day they were allowed to return to work, but denied flight status pay.
Suarez and Perez were removed from Trauma Star at the direction of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Both are still firefighter/EMTs with Monroe County Fire Rescue. If the sheriff’s office were to allow Suarez and Perez to return to Trauma Star service, the county could then consider reinstating them following proper procedures.
5. An internal affairs division should be created to handle MCFR personnel discipline, similar to what is afforded for law enforcement officers under Chapter 112, Florida Statute.
Employee Services conducts internal investigations into policy violations, employment law concerns and other such matters. Employee Services has two former police officers on staff with expertise in investigations, who are used in most cases but do not have independent enforcement authority. This topic will be discussed with the BOCC.
6. Monroe County Employee Services to implement random drug testing for all county employees in special-risk positions as was previously recommended in the clerk’s internal audit report.
The county already has reasonable-suspicion and post-accident drug testing procedures in place. Other county employees in applicable positions are already subject to DOT-mandated random drug screening. This year, the county will implement a random drug testing program and has already raised the topic as part of the collective bargaining agreement with the firefighters’ union.
7. Employee Services and MCFR request the medical director to issue a medical directive requiring all MCFR EMS and Trauma Star employees to be subject to random drug testing.
Random testing is both a matter of county policy and the collective bargaining agreement with the firefighter’s union and would involve coordination with the medical director. Union negotiations are underway, and random testing is a subject of bargaining.
8. All MCFR employees to receive diversion training to identify signs of substance abuse, and steps to prevent the theft of narcotics.
All county and fire rescue employees must undergo annual drug and alcohol training and as part of the hiring process. All employees take annual refresher training that is documented in their personnel files. The county will review, update, and improve the training program.
Following the 2022 incident, Monroe County Fire Rescue implemented additional controls to prevent similar incidents from happening again. These include adding a computer-based inventory system with double controls to prevent the theft of narcotics. Previously, inventory was done on paper. Security video cameras were also added to areas that hold narcotics, and medical supply safes were replaced to include biometric locks.
9. Monroe County’s Human Resources/Employee Services department to develop a new and uniform policy and procedures for the handling of any complaint received from a Monroe County employee, including requiring that a written finding, resolution or conclusion be provided to the complainant or the subject of the complaint no later than 45 days from receipt of the complaint.
Monroe County already has policies and procedures for this type of complaint. When the county receives a claim of workplace violence, sexual harassment, harassment, discrimination, retaliation or other such matters, it conducts an in-depth investigation. The county will review the policies and procedures to see what can be improved.
10. Monroe County’s Human Resources/Employee Services departments should review and update its whistleblower/anonymous reporting process to require a response to be sent confirming receipt of the report. There also needs to be a written report or response documented internally indicating what was done to investigate the report as well as a response being provided to the individual who made the report.
Monroe County adopted a whistleblower ordinance in 2009. The ordinance prevents the county or independent contractor from taking retaliatory action toward an employee or applicant if the employee or applicant reports the law violations to the county. Monroe County does not currently have a system for anonymous complaints, but it is researching how employees or applicants can make an anonymous complaint to Monroe County.
11. All Monroe County elected officials, BOCC, department heads, executives and any person in a management/supervisory level be required to complete an ethics and compliance in the workplace training on an annual basis.
State law requires the BOCC and other county elected officials to attend annual ethics training, which they do. The county also requires all staff to complete yearly online compliance training. The county will review its training programs and make improvements.
12. All Monroe County elected officials, BOCC, department heads, executives and any person in a management/supervisory level be required to complete a leadership training course with continuing education on an annual basis.
Monroe County administration will look into creating an internal course or sending pertinent staff to leadership training courses.
13. The BOCC immediately hire an independent third-party firm to conduct a review of all contracts of services and determine compliance with the required contract terms before any contract is renewed.
Monroe County is in the process of hiring a third-party firm to conduct an independent review of MCFR.
14. The BOCC implement more checks and balances as it pertains to the county administrator position. There should be written monthly reports detailing a thorough review by the county administrator of the county’s departments’ work environment, work product and efficiency along with any pending complaints or incidents related to public trust or accountability.
The Monroe County Administrator presents a monthly report on the BOCC agenda and will continue to do so.
