ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A St. Lucie County sheriff’s deputy was fired after an Internal Affairs investigation found she created a social media post that mocked Sheriff Richard Del Toro’s “Standards of Performance.”

According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs report, on Oct. 10, 2025, Sheriff Richard Del Toro was made aware of a Facebook post on Deputy Tina Speicker’s personal social media account featuring an image titled “Standards of Power.” The report says the image closely resembled Del Toro’s “Standards of Performance,” which was introduced after he was sworn into office. The Standards of Performance outlined eight performance expectations for employees, agency divisions and the Sheriff’s Office’s core values.

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The report says Speicker’s Facebook post mirrored the “Standards of Performance” but replaced the original language with phrases depicting domination, manipulation and exploitation. Investigators alleged the post was intended to disparage the Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Del Toro and violated agency rules and regulations.

According to the Internal Affairs report, Speicker’s “Standards of Power” graphic stated:

Top-down domination. Keep everyone beneath you guessing who’s next to take the blame.Set confusion for others to follow. The less they know, the more control you have.Display a ruthless work ethic with a focus on self-preservation. Take credit for wins, redirect the failures.Demonstrate selective respect. Favor those who serve your goals; silence those who don’t.Being unfair-strategically. Balance is weakness. Tip the scales to your advantage.Remain obsessive and paranoid. Control every detail, question every motive.Be committed to manipulation and influence. Knowledge is leverage—trade it like currency.You own what you exploit and sign off to survive.

The Internal Affairs investigator identified several similarities between the “Standards of Power” graphic and Del Toro’s “Standards of Performance,” including that both contained eight principles, used similar wording and sentence structure, began each bullet point with the same first word and featured a similar two-tone outline. Investigators concluded the graphic was intended to parody the Sheriff’s official standards.

{p}A St. Lucie County sheriff's deputy was fired after an Internal Affairs investigation found she created a social media post that mocked Sheriff Richard Del Toro's "Standards of Performance." According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Internal Affairs report, on Oct. 10, 2025, Sheriff Richard Del Toro was made aware of a Facebook post on Deputy Tina Speicker's personal social media account featuring an image titled "Standards of Power." The report says the image closely resembled Del Toro's "Standards of Performance," which was introduced after he was sworn into office. The Standards of Performance outlined eight performance expectations for employees, agency divisions and the Sheriff's Office's core values. (SLCSO) {/p}

A St. Lucie County sheriff’s deputy was fired after an Internal Affairs investigation found she created a social media post that mocked Sheriff Richard Del Toro’s “Standards of Performance.” According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs report, on Oct. 10, 2025, Sheriff Richard Del Toro was made aware of a Facebook post on Deputy Tina Speicker’s personal social media account featuring an image titled “Standards of Power.” The report says the image closely resembled Del Toro’s “Standards of Performance,” which was introduced after he was sworn into office. The Standards of Performance outlined eight performance expectations for employees, agency divisions and the Sheriff’s Office’s core values. (SLCSO)

During the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office interviewed Sheriff Del Toro, agency supervisors, other deputies and Speicker. Speicker acknowledged posting the graphic to her Facebook page but said it was intended as commentary on Congress and the federal government shutdown.

The report also found Speicker gave inconsistent statements during multiple interviews, leading investigators to sustain allegations of criticism of orders or policies, conduct unbecoming, violating the code of ethics for public officers and employees, and false testimony.

Investigators ultimately rejected that explanation, concluding the graphic closely mirrored the Sheriff’s official standards and was intended to ridicule the agency’s leadership philosophy rather than comment on national politics.

As a result of the investigation, Speicker was terminated on June 12, 2026. The investigation concluded Speicker violated Sheriff’s Office policies regarding criticism of orders or policies, conduct unbecoming, the code of ethics for public officers and employees, and false testimony.