FORT PIERCE, Fla — The St. Lucie County Fire District's attorney resigned minutes after a heated special fire board meeting Wednesday, as fallout from an alleged hazing investigation continues to threaten district leadership.
Attorney Kim Sabol submitted her resignation letter effective in 90 days. She is the subject of several complaints tied to the hazing investigation.
Watch report from Hussey
Nearly a dozen people spoke at the special meeting, which was called to address what board members described as a major gap in district policy: who investigates complaints against the district's own leaders.
"Since this district's inception, we have not had a policy on how they handle complaints against themselves," St. Lucie County Commissioner and Fire District Board Member Jamie Fowler said. "They — being those positions— have essentially been able to investigate themselves."
Those positions include the Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, and District Attorney.
The issue stems from an alleged hazing incident we reported on earlier this year.
A third-party investigator concluded that videos showing firefighters using a modified bug zapper to shock probationary firefighters depicted hazing.
Three veteran firefighters — Doug Boudrias, Jordan Hutchinson and Christopher Baldwin — were fired as a result.
"It was just us in our downtime, joking around, having fun," Hutchinson said.
"We're all still friends," Boudrias said. "Us and the victims, there was no ill intent."
Months before the incident came to light, in September 2025, Boudrias and Hutchinson filed a complaint against Fire Chief Jeff Lee and Sabol. That complaint was denied by the district officials who were themselves named in it.
"That's not a good process," Fowler said.
The board is now asking two outside law firms to help draft a new complaint policy. Meanwhile, firefighters are casting ballots in a no-confidence vote regarding Lee.
"It basically says whether or not they trust and believe in him to lead this district," Fowler said. "So that is a huge thing if you have the majority of the men and women underneath you saying they can no longer serve under you, that's a pretty impactful message."
Lee acknowledged the district lacks a clear complaint process. He told Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey: "I'm glad this board is finally taking this as a serious issue," adding he "welcomes any investigation from any agency."
Per Sabol's resignation, Lee said it's a "sad day."
"She's been a tremendous attorney for the district," Lee said of Sabol.
As for the vote of no confidence, Lee said he didn't have much to say until it's over with
"We'll see what the men and women decide," Lee told Hussey. "I came up on the labor side, I've always fought for our men and women on the line."
Tension inside district headquarters was evident throughout Wednesday's meeting.
"This system is so broken," one attendee said.
"Everybody is fed up. They want action," said retired fire captain Mike Jenkins.
As the union's legal fight to reinstate the three firefighters continues, calls are growing for the fire board to bypass arbitration and bring them back to work.
When asked whether the board has that authority, Fowler said, "I think we might actually," adding, "The chief wants them back. The union is saying they want to come back. I'm going to ask the board in a week from now — what do we want to do? What's the process?"
Firefighters are still casting ballots in the no-confidence vote. There is no word yet on when results will be released.
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