Fort Walton-Destin nurses plan informational picket over safety concerns

Registered nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, are planning an informational picket on Tuesday, June 2, to bring attention to patient safety concerns. According to National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, the nurses say the main issues include short-staffing and management’s failure to address workplace violence.

The picket is scheduled for 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. near the main entrance of Fort Walton-Destin Hospital at 1000 Marwalt Dr. in Fort Walton Beach.

“As nurses, our priority is to care for our patients and for our community,” said Jan Riley, RN in the intensive care unit. “For too long, HCA has shown that their priority is profit. As union nurses, we have the privilege of standing up for ourselves, our profession, and our community and we are using our voice to draw attention to the unsafe conditions inside of our hospital. We have seen an uptick in violence against nurses and staff, and we are demanding management make improvements, so we can care for our community.”

In the press release, nurses said they believe HCA has the resources needed to address conditions at the hospital, but has not made patient safety a priority. The organization also said HCA reported record profits of $6.8 billion in 2025, while CEO Sam Hazen took home more than $26 million.

Nurses said they have been documenting unsafe patient assignments that, in their view, reflect persistent understaffing, unsafe conditions, and limited support from management. Drew Davis, RN in the medical-surgical unit, said the nurses would continue pushing for adequate staffing and patient protections.

“We will never stop advocating for adequate staffing and patient protections,” Davis said.

The nurses voted overwhelmingly to join NNOC/NNU in September 2025 and have been negotiating their first contract since January. According to the press release, management has not responded to the nurses’ demands for safe staffing or adequate workplace violence protections.

CNA/NNOC/NNU said it represents more than 400 registered nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

National Nurses United described itself as the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, with more than 225,000 members nationwide. Its affiliates include the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.