Crime & Public Safety
Attorney resigns amid hazing probe at St. Lucie County Fire District; chief faces no-confidence vote
A resignation and a looming workforce vote marked a heated special meeting of the St. Lucie County Fire District board this week as leaders addressed fallout from an internal hazing investigation. The district’s attorney submitted a resignation letter effective in 90 days and is the subject of multiple complaints tied to the probe, board members said at the meeting.
Board members said the session was called to address a longstanding gap in policy governing who investigates complaints involving district leadership. The board and a county commissioner on the fire district board described that positions including the fire chief, assistant chief and district attorney have been responsible for investigating complaints against themselves since the district’s inception.
A third-party investigator concluded that video evidence showing firefighters using a modified bug zapper on probationary firefighters constituted hazing. As a result of the investigation, three veteran firefighters were terminated. The district has since denied earlier complaints filed against senior leadership, according to board discussion at the meeting.
The board is seeking assistance from two outside law firms to draft a formal policy for handling complaints against district leadership. Meanwhile, firefighters are casting ballots in a no-confidence vote regarding the fire chief; board members said results have not been released. The union is pursuing legal action to reinstate the terminated firefighters, and the board is considering whether it has authority to bypass arbitration and return those employees to duty.
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