Jupiter's vote to start fire-rescue department leaves some residents confused, concerned

JUPITER — The creation of a fire-rescue department has won the support of the Jupiter Town Council but has left much of the community concerned and confused.

Residents who spoke at the Sept. 5 meeting where the council made the move official questioned why there wasn't more public discussion on a topic critical to public safety. They also expressed skepticism about a consultant's estimate of $68 million in start-up costs.

Others wondered whether the town would struggle to recruit firefighters as skilled as those with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, which has provided service to the community of 62,000 people for the past four decades.

One resident has started a petition on the website Change.org to reverse the move. It had nearly met its goal of 2,500 signatures as of Thursday morning.

The lone council member to vote against the switch also noted that the town had a link on its website about the fire rescue department minutes after the meeting. He said it indicated that Mayor Jim Kuretski, the leading advocate for a town department, "is puppeteering everything."

Suni Sands: Owner fights Jupiter's limits on digging, saying they make hotel, condo plan 'impossible'

In voting Aug. 15 to create the department, Kuretski and council members Ron Delaney and Malise Sundstrom cited rising costs and concerns about the town’s lack of control over the policy decisions that drive those costs.

But some residents said they were fine paying more for the service because Jupiter’s population has grown significantly.

“Now we’re 62,000 people, and we’re complaining about the money that they’re asking for to take care of our community, to help us when we’re in need,” said Anthony Iannetti, a Jupiter resident since 1983 and father of a Palm Beach County Fire Rescue captain.

“I don’t think that three people should make that decision. … Please don’t do this to your community. Don’t do this to your residents. Don’t do this to the people who really love this town.”

Jupiter's U.S. 1 bridge replacement: Night shifts begin to keep $122M project on schedule

Jupiter's fire-rescue plan sparks discussion among residents

Opponents of the plan who packed the council chambers on Sept. 5 said residents should have more of a say on the shift in public-safety service providers.

Some called for a popular vote on the move. Others said they felt that not enough input was gathered from residents before the council voted and that they feared the level of service would drop with a town department.

At the request of council member Cameron May and two residents, an item on the council’s consent agenda that involved hiring a consultant to develop the department at a cost of $185,000 was opened for public discussion.

Because the contract with the Center for Public Safety Management is large in cost and new — not an extension of the town’s previous contract with the firm — May said he would prefer to issue a request for proposals.

That normally would be the protocol, said Finance Director Scott Reynolds. But because the contractor already spent time gathering data, it makes sense to hire that company instead of paying another one to duplicate that work, he said.

The Aug. 15 vote felt like a backroom deal, said resident Karyn Vincent, one of the two people who requested the item to be pulled from the consent agenda. She said the Center’s offer looked like “a lowball price.”

Patrick Kennedy, the administrator for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, pointed to some missing data from the consultant’s report, saying elements that had been listed as “TBD” were captured in the county’s report.

An expected $68 million in projected savings in the coming decade included in the consultant’s report “is not based on factual data,” said Kennedy, who asked the council to reconsider its decision this month.

Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium: $108M overhaul of Jupiter's ballpark to start in earnest after spring training

What led Jupiter to break from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue?

Jupiter officials for years have considered breaking ties with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and starting their own fire rescue department. Discussions began in earnest last year when the council hired the Center for Public Safety Management to look at the pros and cons of such a move.

As the town and the county moved toward establishing a new contract last year, Jupiter officials shared concerns that the county was not being transparent with how Jupiter taxpayers’ dollars would be spent. Some council members have also said that anticipated cost increases from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue were not fair to Jupiter residents.

The consultant’s report estimated Jupiter will need three years to build its own department — also the amount of time the town has left on its contract with the county after exercising its exit clause.

The initial cost of starting Jupiter’s fire rescue department is estimated at $68 million, the consultant wrote. Some of that will be paid from the town’s reserves, and another portion through a loan or bond issue, the town said.

Ongoing costs will be paid by tax dollars, with the first year’s operating costs expected to be about $24 million, with a $1 million per year increase for the first five years, the consultant said.

There has been a sense of urgency at the past two council meetings when the issue arose because the town must notify the county by Sept. 30 that it wants to cancel its contract before an updated agreement took effect.

How Palm Beach Gardens is growing: Major recreation projects in works for two parks in city

Critics: Jupiter ignores complexities of managing fire department

Linda McDermott, a longtime West Palm Beach city official who ran for the seat that is now occupied by Sundstrom, said she is concerned because in her experience, municipal fire departments do not attract the same level of talent as a department the size of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

“I know how costly it is to continually hire and train when you have a revolving door because first responders with ambition will come to us only for experience and then look elsewhere for promotional opportunities,” she said.

Chelsea Gass, who started the Change.org petition, said she felt the town would not be able to provide the same level of service as the county.

“The amount of resources and experience they provide cannot be replaced,” Gass said.

Brian White, a 25-year Jupiter resident who is a battalion chief for Hollywood Fire Rescue in Broward County, gave examples of ways resources in a smaller department can quickly be swallowed up by large incidents.

“We are constantly relying on the county,” he said, adding, “One structure fire would deplete the entire resources of this whole town. … If someone has one structure fire in the city, the whole city is empty.”

The town would have to constantly rely on its neighbors for mutual aid, an agreement between neighboring public safety departments to provide coverage when resources are stretched, White said.

FAU shutters Jupiter building: School to probe 'control systems' problem at $35M brain research center

Not all residents opposed creating the town department.

“I think that’s a fabulous thing that you all have done,” said resident Andy Weston, a frequent speaker at town meetings.

“If anybody has a negative to bring out on it, they should go talk to the county commission, because you’re reacting to what the county commission has laid at your feet as to what should be paid, and you found that you can do it cheaper. And I think it’ll be at least as good and hopefully better, similar to what our police department is.”

Debate about change grew contentious among Jupiter officials

The Aug. 15 meeting grew contentious, particularly when Kuretski suggested that May’s interest in maintaining the county contract was because May works for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, as a firefighter/paramedic at Station 16 at Military Trail and Frederick Small Road.

In 2022, when the town began evaluating its options for fire rescue service, May asked town attorney Thomas Baird if he would need to recuse himself from any votes on the town’s contract with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Baird then asked for an opinion from Palm Beach County’s Commission on Ethics.

That board said May could participate in and vote on the issue "because the size of the class affected is large enough and there is no indication that his personal gain or loss from a change to the contract would be significantly different from that of any other firefighter/paramedic employed by PBCFR."

How Juno Beach is growing: Townhomes expected to sell for $1.5 million-plus, architect tells residents

May had protested that the decision on starting a town fire department should be tabled until there is a fifth council member. The council has had a vacancy since Cheryl Schneider resigned in July. He also said Aug. 15 that he objected to making the decision on an item that was listed on the agenda as a presentation.

“We understand why you’re vested in staying with the county,” Kuretski said, referring to May’s employer.

“That’s also inappropriate for you to say,” May shot back.

After the Aug. 15 meeting, records obtained by The Palm Beach Post show that animosity continued to brew between the council members.

Almost immediately after the meeting came to a heated conclusion, May sent two text messages, one to Town Manager Frank Kitzerow, and another to Sundstrom, according to town records.

In both, May shared a link to the town’s website where information about the new fire rescue department was posted within minutes of the meeting’s end.

“Wow, awfully convenient that they had this ready to go and shared as soon as we walked out of our meeting tonight,” May wrote to Sundstrom.

“Whoa let me get my laptop,” Sundstrom wrote, followed by, “That was an aggressive meeting. Jim (Kuretski, the mayor) was harsh again.” She referred to discussions from the meeting that were about Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium and trying to approve an annual bonus for Kitzerow “without info.”

“I hope you realize that he is puppeteering everything,” May wrote, referring to Kuretski and saying “there is no way they would have had that link that quick if they didn’t know already. And to share it on social media 10 minutes after we walked out of our meeting is absolute bull.”

“I think they knew it had the votes, and I know staff has been preparing talking points,” Sundstrom replied. “I didn’t know a department link would be up.”

“It’s inappropriate,” May said.

May said Friday he was frustrated following the meeting and vented to Sundstrom, his friend of several years.

"I was obviously a little blindsided after that meeting," he said.

May stood by his comment about Kuretski, saying he does not feel like Kuretski "is truly wanting to listen to what the residents want." While May said he understands the council has to be good stewards of taxpayer money, he feels the process is being rushed and there has not been enough public input.

"If the general public comes and says, 'We support this,' then I have a duty to act upon that request and assist in what capacity I can," May said, noting that his service with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue gives him insight into the inner workings of a fire-rescue department.

Reached Friday, Sundstrom said she did not agree with May's comment that Kuretski is "puppeteering."

"I just don't agree with it," she said. "He (Kuretski) does his homework. He points to evidence for everything that he does. He's very careful about what he puts out. I respect that because I hope I'm the same way."

While she respects May, Sundstrom said she felt like she needed to put out a statement following the meeting on her social media.

"It's kind of insulting to me, it's insulting to him and to me and to the other council members," Sundstrom said of the puppeteering comment. "I do a lot of work. As council members, we have an obligation to go into detail on the record, because that's what we do."

Sundstrom posted to her council Facebook page with a detailed list of timestamps from meetings where she commented on the possibility of the town starting its own fire-rescue department.

"I figured, let me show my work, like a math problem," she said. "Let me show you the videos that influenced my decision. Let me show you it wasn't a surprise. I have a responsibility to point to something for all of my decisions as well. I can't just not like something. I have to point to something."

Negotiations are ongoing with the county, she said, noting that station locations and mutual aid agreements have not been finalized. "We're trying to act in good faith," Sundstrom said.

Kuretski did not reply to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter fire department plan has some residents worried, council split