LTC 286-2024 Miami Beach Fire Chief Change of Command and Swearing-In CeremonyMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO.LTC #LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO:Honorable Mayor Steven Meiner and Members of the City
Commission
FROM:Rickelle Williams,Interim City Manager
DATE:July 11,2024
SUBJECT:Miami Beach Fire Chief Change of Command and Swearing-In
Ceremony
This Letter to Commission (LTC)serves as an invitation to the Mayor and City Commission
to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Miami Beach Fire Chief Digna Abella on
Wednesday,July 31,2024,at 4 p.m.in the Miami Beach Convention Center (Sunset Vista
Ballroom).
Pursuant to appointment confirmation by the Mayor and City Commission on June 26,
2024,Chief Abello became the city's 14"Fire Chief since the department's establishment.
She succeeds Chief Virgil Fernandez,who is retiring after more than four decades of
distinguished fire service.The swearing-in ceremony will commemorate the transition from
Chief Fernandez to Chief Abella.
Chief Abella has risen through the ranks during her 19 years of service with the Miami
Beach Fire Department.She began her tenure as a Firefighter and quickly distinguished
herself as a natural leader.Her skills,competence,and willingness to sacrifice and
contribute propelled her,first to the rank of Lieutenant with a focus on recruitment and
administration.She later excelled as Division Chief of Support Services,Division Chief of
Training,Division Chief of Rescue and most recently as the Deputy Chief of Administration.
Among her many accomplishments,Chief Abella was instrumental during the COVID-19
pandemic where she directed the Fire Department's comprehensive response strategy,
including the development of standard operating procedures and collaboration with health
departments.She successfully established a vaccination program that inoculated over
13,000 vulnerable residents,ensuring community wellbeing and safety.Also,she
spearheaded two (2)accreditation cycles consecutively yielding the prestigious Insurance
Services Office (ISO)Class 1 rating.
Please join me again in congratulating Chief Digna Abella,the first woman named Fire
Chief in Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County history.I look forward to your attendance at
her swearing-in ceremony on July 31s
286-2024