Three St. Lucie County firefighters who were terminated and two others who were suspended are seeking arbitration after disciplinary action stemming from an investigation into workplace misconduct at a fire station.
The Professional Firefighters and Paramedics of St. Lucie County, IAFF Local 1377, announced it has demanded arbitration on behalf of all five members, arguing they were disciplined without just cause and that the investigation was not conducted impartially.
The St. Lucie County Fire District, however, said an independent investigation found that senior firefighters violated department policies after using a modified bug zapper to administer electrical shocks to probationary and apprentice firefighters while on duty. The district said the conduct constituted hazing and workplace violence under its policies.
According to the union, the incidents occurred more than two years ago and did not involve hazing.
"The police report from the Fort Pierce Police Department indicates, in part, '...I found coworkers entertaining each other,'" the union said in a statement.
The union said the five members were "wrongly 'found'" to have violated district policies and alleged employees involved in the incidents were disciplined inconsistently, with some receiving no punishment.
Local 1377 also criticized the district's handling of the investigation, alleging the outside law firm's review was not impartial and arguing the firm's subsequent role representing the district in arbitration creates a conflict.
"The nature of the questions asked, as well as the way in which they were asked or not asked, reflects a predetermined conclusion rather than an objective fact-finding process," the union said.
The fire district released investigative findings that describe a different account.
According to the district, administrators first received videos in March 2026 showing senior personnel using a modified bug zapper to intentionally shock junior firefighters during separate incidents in March and September 2024. The district said it hired an outside attorney to conduct an independent investigation and make disciplinary recommendations after referring the matter to law enforcement and the Florida Department of Health.
The investigative report states that the videos showed probationary and apprentice firefighters being quizzed while connected to the modified device or being shocked multiple times while coworkers watched and laughed. Witness interviews and video evidence led the investigator to conclude the conduct violated multiple district policies regardless of whether participants claimed they consented.
The investigator found that the conduct created "a perception of a culture of hazing" involving senior firefighters and noted a power imbalance between supervisors or senior employees and probationary personnel. The report also concluded that the actions violated the district's workplace violence policy.
The investigator recommended termination for firefighters Douglas Boudrias, Christopher Baldwin and Jordon Hutchison, while recommending 48-hour unpaid suspensions for Roberto "Rocky" Tapia and Kayla Gammie. The district ultimately terminated three employees and suspended two.
The district also released findings from a separate 2025 workplace culture review, which found no substantiated harassment or policy violations at Station 1A but described concerns including "intense peer pressure," "social exclusion" and "light hazing" that blurred "the line between camaraderie and misconduct." The report recommended reassigning personnel and implementing leadership and workplace culture training.
The disciplinary action first drew public attention during a recent St. Lucie County Fire District board meeting last week, where County Commissioner James Clasby questioned the decision to terminate the employees and urged the district to resolve the dispute before it reaches arbitration.
Clasby told the board he had viewed the videos at the center of the investigation and disagreed with the characterization of the conduct as hazing.
During the meeting, Clasby asked whether the Fire District's governing board had the authority to review or intervene in the disciplinary decisions. District attorney Kim Sabol told commissioners that personnel matters involving firefighters fall under the authority of the fire chief and are not subject to board action under the district's charter.
The union said it remains willing to resolve the dispute through the grievance process established in the collective bargaining agreement and contends arbitration could be avoided if the district negotiates a resolution.
The fire district said the disciplined employees have exercised their contractual right to arbitration and that it will present its case through that process. It said it will have no further public comment while the matter is pending.