Chief Floyd Jordan was born on May 16, 1943 in Madison, Georgia. Early in his childhood, he moved to Miami with his family and was reared in the Miami-Dade County Public School System, graduating from George Washington Carver High School in 1962. After graduation, Jordan joined the U.S Air Force. It was there that Jordan received training as a Fire Protection Specialist at the Greenville Air Force Technical School located in Greenville, Mississippi. He served nearly four years in the U.S Air Force, including one year in Vietnam. It was while based in Vietnam that Jordan was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for firefighting actions in August of 1965.

After completing his service in the U.S Air Force, Jordan returned to Miami and on March 6, 1967 joined the Miami Fire Department where he became Miami’s second Black Firefighter, the first was his good friend Willie Waters. While serving on the Miami Fire Department, Jordan was promoted through the ranks by competitive examination and finished in the top five on all promotion registers. With each passing promotion, Floyd Jordan became the first Black Firefighter in South Florida to be promoted to the following ranks: Fire Lieutenant (April 1974); Fire Captain (January 1978); Chief Fire Officer (February 1981); Division Chief (May 1982); and Deputy Fire Chief (May 1984).

Jordan attended and graduated with honors from Miami-Dade Community College (now Miami-Dade College), earning an Associate Degree in Fire Administration and an Associate Degree of Fire Science and Technology. Jordan was recognized as an “Outstanding Graduate” by Miami-Dade College at their commencement ceremony in April 1989. In 1994, he was appointed as Fire Chief of Boynton Beach Fire Department, becoming the first Black Fire Chief and department head in the City of Boyton Beach. Also in 1994 he was honored by the City of Opa Locka with a proclamation “Mr. Floyd Jordan Day”. In 2004, Jordan was honored with an induction into the Miami-Dade College Hall of Fame, becoming the first Black Public Safety Officer to do so.

The City of Miami dedicated new Miami Fire Station #12 in honor of Deputy Fire Chief Floyd Jordan in February 1996. In the same month, he was honored by the City of Miami with an official proclamation dedicating February 23, 1996 as “Chief Floyd Jordan Day.” In August 1996, Jordan was appointed Assistant Fire Chief in Miami Beach, becoming first Black Assistant Fire Chief and fire office in the Miami Beach Fire Department. Again, for his work and groundbreaking career, he was honored by the City of Boyton Beach with “Chief Floyd Jordan Appreciation Day” in August 1996.

In June 1999, Jordan was appointed as the Fire Chief of Miami Beach. With that honor, he came the first Black Fire Chief of a County or City fire agency in the history of Miami-Dade County. Jordan was recognized by the Miami Beach Sun Post as one of the top 50 individuals having an impact on our community in April 2002.

In February of 2003, Jordan was interviewed on the nationally broadcasted CBS television program “60 Minutes”, sharing his expert opinion and commentary on nightclub inspections and sprinkler systems after the tragic nightclub fire in Rhode Island. After years of hard and dedication, Chief Floyd Jordan ended his trailblazing career when he retired on September 29, 2007. After his retirement, Jordan was honored by the city of Miami Beach with a Floyd Jordan Day celebration in October 2007. Jordan is also the published author of TRIUMPH: The Journey of an African-American from Childhood to Fire Chief.