Marathon fire chief dismissal sparks dispute over crash citations and records

Marathon’s removal of Fire Rescue Chief James Muro quickly became more than a personnel fight. It turned into a test of whether city leaders can explain a crash, produce the right records, and keep public trust in the department that answers Monroe County’s emergencies.

The city’s website had listed Muro as fire rescue chief before the dispute began. Then, after an April 8 crash, Marathon issued a press release on April 23 saying Muro had been placed on administrative leave after an alleged citation for leaving the scene of a crash without giving information and for careless driving while operating a city vehicle after hours. The Florida Highway Patrol filed a careless-driving traffic infraction that same day.

A separate misdemeanor hit-and-run citation alleging $39,000 in property damage complicated the case. City officials were shown that citation in April, but an email later said the trooper voided it on April 27. Even so, the citation surfaced in Monroe County court records on May 11, leaving open a basic procedural question about whether it had been refiled or appeared in error.

Muro’s account is different. City documents show he reported the crash to Human Resources the next morning and said he stayed on scene to help with patient care and communicate with law enforcement. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office body-camera footage showed Muro helping victims and asking a deputy, “stay or go?” before he left in his city fire rescue truck. Later footage from a home visit that night showed Muro telling officers he would do “whatever you need me to do,” including reporting the crash and taking a drug and alcohol test the next morning.

At the May 12 Marathon City Council meeting, several firefighters and residents defended Muro, saying he was a valued leader who had modernized the department. Muro told council members there was “no due process,” said no one had asked him about his role in the incident, and said his alcohol test came back 0.00. Interim City Manager Steven Williams said the firing was his decision based on the facts in front of him. Vice Mayor Debra Struyf said Muro violated his contract and tied her comments to transparency. Mayor Lynny Del Gaizo said she could not get into details and called Muro a great guy.

The dispute landed in a city already dealing with leadership churn. Marathon had voted 3-2 in February to fire City Manager George Garrett, and city code requires council to begin a search for a new manager within 90 days of a vacancy. With Garrett’s base salary listed at $219,650, Muro’s dismissal fed a wider argument over who is accountable when Marathon’s top officials make hard calls behind closed doors.