First Coast Security has laid off nearly 300 employees in Florida
Jacksonville FL January 30 2022
First Coast Security has laid off nearly 300 employees in Florida, including 74 on the Gulf Coast.
The security company, based in Jacksonville, says in a letter to the state that the cuts come after it lost its contract with Trulieve, the Tallahassee-based medical cannabis company. “This was determined by our client, as they chose an alternative option for security.”
The letter was sent to meet federally mandated Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act requirements. The layoffs occurred Jan. 4, though the letter did not appear on the Florida WARN website until Jan. 28.
Christine Cumming, director of human resources for First Coast and the person who signed the letter, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how losing the contract would affect the company or whether the laid off employees would receive severance pay or would be rehired if the company landed new business.
Trulieve did not respond to an email asking why the company cut its contract.
The job cuts mostly affect armed security guards, 283 of who lost their jobs. In addition to the guards, two managers and four supervisors were cut.
The cuts are also happening at dispensaries in nearly every corner of the state, from Port Charlotte to Pensacola and the Keys to St. Augustine. On the Gulf Coast, at least 30 locations are affected.
