Former Village of Key Biscayne Fire Chief and Village Manager John C. Gilbert left plenty of memories along the way after a 46-year career in public service. The news of his passing this past week reverberated throughout the community.
Robert Duzoglou, who called Gilbert “a man of honor” and praised his dedication for the community and for friendships, won’t soon forget one of the Village’s important leaders. Especially the next time he takes a spin on his red Harley.
“When he left town, he gave me his motorcycle,” Duzoglou said Monday morning, first learning of the news. “There’s even a fire chief badge on the back. I’m still enjoying it.”
Gilbert retired on Sept. 30, 2018, and moved to the California side of Lake Tahoe, where he wanted to enjoy retirement in the peaceful wilderness and much colder temperatures. A couple of years later, however, declining health brought him back to the west coast of Florida, closer to his three children.
He had also served as a police officer during the early part of his career, even taking the role as Police Chief at one time, making him a true “triple threat,” as Duzoglou called him.
“We got to cross paths about a lot of different issues,” said Duzoglou, a former Chamber of Commerce President, a member of the committee that organized the build of the Community Center and martial arts teacher to Gilbert’s stepson. “He was always very passionate and had a lot of integrity. Just a great person,” he said.
Others who worked with Gilbert also shared their admiration and some fond memories.
Charles Press, who spent 17 years as Key Biscayne’s Police Chief, said he “became fast friends” with Gilbert upon arriving in the Village.
Village manager John Gilbert works with former KBPD Chief Press.
“We were both seasoned public safety officials and provided our residents with the umbrella for safety and health. We worked together the best as any two people could,” said Press, who came out of a three-year retirement a year ago to assume the role as Surfside’s Police Chief.
“He was a fantastic Fire Chief, a fantastic Town Manager, and a very, very good human being. He loved Key Biscayne, and he showed that. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”
It was Gilbert who first hired Eric Lang as a young, 21-year-old wide-eyed firefighter whose own dedication allowed him to serve on Key Biscayne’s Fire-Rescue unit for some 32 years, including the final 13 as Fire-Rescue Chief.
“He was my friend, my mentor, my boss, my Fire Chief, my manager,” Lang said. “He was a huge part of my life and it wasn’t just me. There are countless people that he had a direct impact on.
“Most people have no idea what impact they had on his life. He was extremely passionate and dedicated, especially to the Village, the residents, the employees and the Council. His dedication to service was unbelievable.”
Gilbert, who once began FBI training in hopes of becoming a member of law enforcement, had worked with the Miami Fire Department for many years, starting in 1972.
In the era of the Mariel Boatlift, when anti-Castro extremists were terrorizing Calle Ocho and other high-profile locations in Miami, Gilbert became part of the Miami Fire Department’s investigative unit to address the violence.
John Gilbert with former Fire Chief Eric Lang and other community members at his 25-year celebration.
“I actually wore a gun as a fireman for 15 years; I was sent on bomb training, I got to go undercover,” he said back in 2018 before retiring. “We saw so many crazy things.”
In North Miami Beach, Gilbert also was recruited for its police department to help start a SWAT medic program. That was just before getting the call from a former Miami fire leader, Bill Huddleston (the Village’s first chief), that a new fire department was in the works.
When Gilbert arrived in Key Biscayne in 1993, basically as a deputy, he and some of the other visionaries of the Village, including Cliff Brody, built a fire station essentially from scratch that year, Lang said.
“They put everything that needed to be in place, in place,” he said. “One thing that was important was his vision to get us accredited. This department is still one of the longest accredited agencies in the entire country because of his vision.”
Gilbert also got involved with Florida’s Urban Search and Rescue task force, a multi-agency group that responds to disasters around the world. Who knew what would happen on Sept. 11, 2001?
He not only sent five members of his 30-person department to assist, but he quickly learned that he’d also be the task force leader for a crew of 78, replacing a team at Ground Zero, where they spent more than 20 days there helping with rescue and recovery.
“Some of the most difficult work in the fire service that I have ever been part of,” he once said. “I was humbled but scared a little bit – this crew and this response were mine. It was a big moment for me, and a big moment for Key Biscayne.”
John Gilbert with loved ones.
Lang became the Village’s Fire-Rescue Chief on Feb. 12, 2012, the day Gilbert took over as Village Manager.
“He cared so much about people and making sure things were in order,” Lang said. “He had a presence, a way about him that made him special. He had an incredible reputation, not just in his fire service, but in every way with so many people and there was a tremendous amount of respect for him, even across the country.”
Councilman Ed London also praised Gilbert for his work, as well as the kind individual he was.
“A lovely guy,” London said. “He loved Key Biscayne, he loved his job, the people and the people loved him. He was looking forward to his retirement but, unfortunately, it didn’t last long.”
London was somber Monday, hoping Gilbert felt relief “in a better place” rather than suffering through maladies.
“He always wanted to do better, to fix whatever needed to be fixed, solve problems when they came up,” he said. “He never wavered, never hesitated. He looked forward to working with others and people looked forward to working with him.”
Duzoglou will never forget his friend, either, especially when he turns the throttle on his red Harley to hear the rumble.
“He was a very wonderful person, very loving,” he said. “I’m sorry to see him go.”