ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Newly released internal documents and audio recordings have uncovered new details in the ongoing controversy surrounding the St. Lucie County Fire District, where three firefighters were terminated and two others suspended over alleged rookie hazing incidents in 2024.
The terminations stemmed from videos showing rookie firefighters being shocked with a modified bug zapper—an act district leaders maintain violated department policy. However, the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Local 1377 union and the disciplined firefighters are pushing back, arguing the terminations were unfair, biased, and rooted in internal conflicts of interest.
The case extends beyond the bug zapper videos, with terminated firefighters Jordon Hutchinson and Christopher Baldwin accusing top district officials of improperly managing internal grievances.
Prior to their terminations, Hutchinson and Baldwin filed state ethics complaints alleging Fire Chief Jeff Lee, Assistant Chief Brian Gonzalez, and District Attorney Kim Sabol participated in reviewing complaints in which they themselves were named.
While the Florida Commission on Ethics ultimately dismissed those specific complaints, the firefighters and their union point to findings from a separate independent investigation that raised questions regarding potential conflicts of interest within the district’s internal review framework.
Michael Jenkins, a 32-year veteran of the St. Lucie County Fire District, expressed strong disagreement with how department leadership framed the incidents.
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“The more I read it, the madder I got,” Jenkins said. “I said, there’s no way. There is no way they’re firing these guys for hazing. This is not hazing. I’ve been here 32 years. I have never seen anybody hazed.”
Jenkins noted that activities far more severe occurred during his three-decade tenure without being categorized or punished as hazing.
Jenkins provided an audio recording obtained through a public records request, featuring an official interview between the law firm hired by the fire district and Roberto “Rocky” Tapia—one of the suspended firefighters who originally turned over the video footage.
In the recording, Tapia reacts after learning his identity would be attached to the complaint rather than kept confidential.
“If it wasn’t anonymous, I wouldn’t have done this,” Tapia is heard telling investigators. “I understand. So you put me in a tough spot then.”
The firefighters’ union has formally requested binding arbitration to contest the terminations and continues to challenge the procedural integrity of the district’s investigation.
The St. Lucie County Fire District has not responded to requests for comment regarding the newly released recording or the union’s latest statements. District leadership previously stated that the actions caught on camera clearly violated district standards and that they fully stand by the disciplinary actions taken. Efforts to obtain the complete video footage and additional investigative files remain ongoing.