Mike Beadle, Palm Coast’s longtime fire chief, will be retiring in September and his second-in-command, Gerard “Jerry” Forte, will take the reins of the department, city officials announced Tuesday.
City Manager Jim Landon formally appointed Forte, currently the deputy fire chief, to take over in Beadle’s stead during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Forte got choked up as he spoke about his close friend Beadle, who stood beside him.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with my friend, my mentor and my brother, Mike, who we’re going to miss a lot,” Forte said through tears.
Beadle, 59, took over the fire department in September 2000 during the city’s infancy, becoming its first fire chief about nine months after the city was incorporated. He was not a newcomer.