Questions raised about North Collier fire chief’s work hours, pay

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District fire chief is responding to accusations from within his own department — that he’s rarely at work despite earning a six-figure taxpayer-funded salary.

What began as a tip about the chief’s work ethic turned into a months-long investigation by WINK Investigates — involving public records requests, interviews with employees, and a sit-down with Fire Chief Eloy Ricardo and Fire Commission Chairman Christopher Lombardo.

The findings don’t show a “ghost employee” — but they do reveal gaps in how the district tracks work hours, along with new questions about vacation payouts and internal policies.

Employees speak out — anonymously

Several employees inside the department spoke with WINK Investigates, claiming Chief Ricardo is frequently absent from headquarters and alleges he is at home much of the time.

Chief Ricardo has been the chief for almost seven years.

"He's never here. It’s the running joke of the department," said one North Collier Fire employee who asked us to protect their identity.

"I would be surprised if he does 40 hours in a month," another North Collier Fire employee told WINK Investigates. They also asked us to protect their identity.

They requested anonymity, saying they fear retaliation.

"Nobody’s ever going to say something like that to a fire chief… you risk your job," one of the employees said.

They say concerns about the chief’s presence have been building for years.

"You have a fire chief that isn’t present, so you essentially have no leadership," one employee said. Another employee saying, "You have a job. You’re expected to do your job… and he’s not there."

Timesheets show full workweeks — but questions remain

WINK Investigates obtained the chief’s self-reported timesheets from August 1, 2025, through January 30, 2026.

Those records show Ricardo reported working more than 40 hours every week.

When those records were shown to the employees who raised concerns, they questioned their accuracy.

"Not a chance… not from the station. That’s for sure," one department member said.

Another employee reacted, "It’s impossible to explain. I don’t see how that’s a real thing."

Ricardo, whose fully loaded salary is $213,930.21, strongly pushed back during a three-hour on-camera interview with WINK Investigates.

"My role of always being the fire chief...24 hours, 365 days. I'm looked at as a workaholic," Ricardo said. "I have more people telling me I need to balance my life, because the department is everything I do. I do what I need to do to get the job done."

Ricardo says his work often happens outside the office — including in the community, at other stations, and sometimes at home.

WINK Investigates Reporter Olivia Jean asked the chief, "How often do you work from home?"

Ricardo responded, "Not as much anymore, because my house is now taking care of grandkids. But in the past, I would say, if I was when I say at home, is I may have left here [headquarters] at three o'clock, and then had to work over there [home]," Ricardo said. "I may have to go do something at the house, and then I may have to come back."

Jean questioned, "It's not like full days?"

Ricardo responded, "No, no, no, that I could count. I've had probably some days like that, when I've had to do especially in collective bargaining... but again, my hours... you know, I'm an exempt employee, so sometimes my hours are above and beyond."

Email records obtained by WINK Investigates show 307 emails sent from Ricardo's email address during August 1, 2025, through January 30, 2026. Records show communication occurring on evenings and weekends, in addition to Monday through Friday.

Chairman Chris Lombardo defended the chief’s work ethic. He sat alongside the chief during the interview.

"We don’t want him harnessed to this building. I mean that that that doesn't do us any good. Chief Ricardo in particular, always accessible, always on top of his game," Lombardo said.

Both the Chair and Chief outlined new initiatives under Ricardo’s seven-year leadership, including launching a lifeguard program, expanding transport services, and implementing a mental health program for first responders in partnership with the University of Central Florida.

After WINK Investigates filed public records requests on January 30th, some employees say they noticed a shift in his work schedule.

“That following Monday showed up to work maybe before 8 a.m.… and every week since," an employee said.

Jean asked Ricardo, "Did your behavior change at all since us putting in the request?

Ricardo responded, "No, no behavior. My schedule has changed. What happens is that we work in seasons. Like, there is a season to this, to this role, like, even for the not for profits and and everything, there's a season of things that have happened."

He went on to say, "Timing is what was changed. Listen, I have high value for you guys, but it wasn't your public record request that triggered that."

Missing building access data raises new concerns

To independently verify when the chief was in the office, WINK Investigates requested building badge swipe data from August 1, 2025 through January 30.

"That project [building access & door security], is something that I brought, that I got into the budget, that I approved, because I believe that we needed to secure our buildings," Ricardo said. "We did it for security from people coming in, you know, like unauthorized people coming through the fire station."

The project started in March 2023.

"I believe that we should have been badging the doors a long time ago," Ricardo said.

The records request uncovered a new issue: the system tracking building access was not fully working during the timeframe requested.

The district acknowledged missing data, meaning there is no complete record of who entered or exited the building during our records request time frame — including the chief.

"Your records request identified a system segment that was not functioning as intended. Since then, our Information Technology Division has addressed and corrected the issue," Heather Mazurkiewicz, the district's Public Information Officer, wrote in an email.

WINK Investigates received a refund for our public records request.

Ricardo credited WINK Investigates for bringing to light the system not working properly.

"The reality is that we would have not known without you asking for the record request that the data that was coming out, how they had it programmed [wasn't working]," he said. "We've never been asked for a record request for a security doors either. So, it was the first time, and that's what happened."

A second potential issue emerges: vacation payouts

While reviewing records, WINK Investigates uncovered another potential concern — how much unused vacation time the chief has been paid out.

District SOP 1257 Vacation Payout-Exempt Employees limits exempt employees to 120 hours of vacation payout. The SOP's purpose is to "provide the procedure for eligible, exempt employees to request vacation payout as per District Policy 311-Leaves of Absence.

Ricardo’s contract allows 200 hours.

Records show the chief cashed out up to 320 hours in two different fiscal years.

"That’s a lot of money," one of the employees who spoke to WINK Investigates said.

Ricardo and Lombardo say the total comes from two separate sources, not double dipping, as sources have described it to WINK Investigates.

Ricardo says he is entitled to both. "I get 200 hours in my contract, but I also get what exempt employees get, which is 120. I wouldn't call it stacking."

Lombardo added, "As an exempt employee, he's entitled to those benefits. That's part of the deal. It's contract, right? It's just that simple."

The explanation from the Chief and Chair centers on how district policies evolved over time.

According to the chief and chairman:

• The 200 hours were negotiated in his contract years ago
• At the time, there was no payout policy for exempt employees
• Later, the district created a policy allowing exempt employees to cash out 120 hours
• Because the chief is classified as an exempt employee, they say he qualifies for both

WINK Investigates reviewed District Policy 311 Leaves of Absence, which states: “The fire chief’s contract may provide for additional leave or procedures, which shall supersede this policy.”

The chairman interprets Policy 311 as, "It means we can negotiate. We can provide additional benefits to entice a person to stay or work for us as fire chief."

They argue reducing those benefits now would effectively cut the chief’s compensation — something they call “compression.”

“We did not intend on reducing his benefits… that doesn’t make sense," the chairman said.

When WINK Investigates asked where — in writing — it specifically states the 200 hours and 120 hours can be combined, Lombardo acknowledged there is no single line spelling that out.

A district spokesperson acknowledged issues with how policies and procedures were implemented.

In an email to WINK Investigates, Heather Mazurkiewicz, the district's Public Information Officer, noted in part, "As we reviewed the timeline more closely in response to your follow-up questions, we recognize that the administrative distribution of the SOP and the subsequent Board approval of the policy framework do not align as cleanly as they should."

The email went on to say, "This reflects an administrative sequencing issue, and the District is reviewing the timeline internally to ensure clarity going forward."

An employee said, "He gets to cash out 200 and that's in his contract. But that other policy doesn't, doesn't apply to him."

Ricardo also emphasized that vacation payouts are for earned time — not extra compensation.

Records also show the chief used 47.50 hours of vacation time and no sick days over the past full two fiscal years.

Accountability vs. perception

Ricardo says his performance — not his physical presence — should be the focus.

Jean asked, "What assurances can you give taxpayers, the public, that full time, 'I'm here, I'm working. I'm working for you?'"

Ricardo responded, "Olivia, I have made monumental team. With my team that I've created, I've made monumental things for this district that has never been able to be done. I cannot do that in a vacuum of no time dedicated to her. I cannot do it."

WINK Investigates asked the chief directly whether he believes he is meeting his contractual obligation. "Absolutely," Ricardo responded.

With self-reported hours, incomplete access data, and policies open to interpretation — for the employees who came forward biggest question remains: Who is holding the fire chief accountable?

Lombardo, however, says systems are already in place for employees to raise concerns.

"It seems to me that that's more of an educational issue, that there are systems in place for you to come we have, HR, you have five commissioners... all the all five commissioners are have an open door policy around here.”

Sources describe a culture where speaking up internally or to commissioners is not an option — pointing WINK Investigates to Policy 102 Organizational Structure. 102.8 in the policy states in-part, "No employee of the District will initiate contact with any governing board member regarding any matter affecting the District without having first informed the Fire Chief or authorized designee through the chain of command."

The policy notes the Chair is an option saying, "If an issue involves the Fire Chief, the employee may consult directly with the Chair of the Board. My doors are always open. Anybody wants to come talk to me...they can call me. They can set up a meeting," the chief said in our interview.

What happens next

Chairman Lombardo told WINK Investigates the chief’s contract is set to be renegotiated this year — which could include changes to compensation and benefits.

Chairman Lombardo also told WINK Investigates he plans to look further into the concerns raised stating, "I've heard you and I think it's interesting. I know a lot of the firefighters here personally."

Lombardo went on to say, "I have no qualms about asking them, you know, 'tell me what's going on, tell me what you see, tell me what you're thinking, tell me what your concerns are with the chief.' I have no issues with that. I will follow through."

WINK also reached out to all fire commissioners:

• Commissioner Norman Feder said he has never had an issue reaching the chief.
• Commissioner Stephen Popper said this is the first he’s hearing of the concerns, but called them "serious."

The fire union, Local 2297, has not responded to requests for comment.