Polk County commissioners unanimously approved a $200,000 legal settlement Tuesday for relatives of a woman killed in a house fire last year.
Loretta Pickard, 76, was still on the phone with 911 dispatchers when she died in that fire.
“It’s a human life and a horrible death,” said Amber Addison, Pickard’s niece.
For several minutes, the 911 recording shows Pickard was being reassured rescuers were coming for her, but they never did.
Instead, the decision was made to fight the fire defensively from the outside.
Since then, the incident has undergone an independent outside review. The fire captain in charge during the incident, James Williams, resigned minutes before being terminated.
An investigation found Williams posted pictures of the fire on his personal Snapchat account.
The fire chief at the time – Anthony P. Stravino -- retired.
County officials, who have publicly apologized in the past, decided not to wait for a lawsuit or drawn-out legal battle. Instead, they decided to offer Pickard’s surviving relatives the $200,000 settlement.
None of Pickard’s family members attended Tuesday’s commission meeting. Her husband, who was not home at the time of the fire, has since moved north to live with their son.
“I would say that they understand the pain and the hurt that they went through,” said Addison.
Addison said the settlement amount barely covers the value of Pickard’s home, which was destroyed by the fire. But $200,000 is the maximum liability, they were told, that any government agency faces under Florida law.
As part of the settlement, the family also agrees to release the county from any further liability.
“I think they realize that we’ve been through enough and that they were trying to be as nice and generous as what they could legally be,” said Addison.
Polk Assistant Fire Chief Rick Parnell was also not able to comment about the settlement itself but called Pickard’s case a “very tragic incident” which is already leading to important policy and staffing changes at Polk Fire Rescue.
“Things will be improved. Policies. Equipment. Staffing,” he said.
Addison says that is what the family really wants most.
No amount of money, she said, can ever bring her Aunt Loretta back. And while the settlement means the county doesn’t have to admit blame, their actions, she said, speak louder than words.
“This is my aunt’s legacy. We’re going to make this county, the place that we love, better,” said Addison. “We’re going to fix these problems. No place is perfect, but we’re going to make this better.”