JUPITER, Fla. — The Jupiter Fire Rescue Department has become a focal point within the town’s municipal elections.
Voters will vote Tuesday on the next town council, which will make a variety of decisions on the department's future.
Town Council voted to create the department in August 2023. Then a report from a consultant estimated the town could save $68 million over an eight-year period if it switched services from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
WATCH: Jupiter mayoral race up for vote March 11
Each race on the town’s ballot features at least one candidate who spoke out against the town creating the fire rescue department during a wave of protests during 2023. The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2928, the union for the Palm Beach County Fire Department, helped organize those efforts, including a failed ballot referendum.
Cameron May, who resigned from his council seat to run for the town’s mayoral race, also had a leadership position in the firefighter’s union. He is running against incumbent Mayor Jim Kuretski, who supported the creation of a Jupiter Fire Rescue Department.
May said he’s not trying to stop the town from creating the fire department, in a phone call with WPTV’s Ethan Stein on Friday. He said he wants people to get the opportunity to vote for every town expenditure over $10 million.
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“I feel like they need to be able to, you know, approve doing things like that,” May said. “So there’s other capital expenditures that we’ve approved and, you know, just like we do with our green space bond money.”
According to town documents, the town spent $11.4 million in fiscal year 2024 to create the department. The documents said it plans to spend $2.9 million in fiscal year 2025.
According to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the contract for its services cost Jupiter $25.8 million in 2023. The amount was a 22.8% increase from 2022.
May said he doesn’t believe the municipal election is a proxy election for the Jupiter Fire Rescue Department. But, his opponent Jim Kuretski said the only reason why he’s running is to ensure the Jupiter Fire Rescue Department continues to get built by the town’s start date in October 2026.
Kuretski said he believes May is “backtracking” after he received polling on the issue. He also said he believes May is treating the election as a referendum on the fire department.
“If he gets elected, he’s gonna take it as a vote that the voters want to go back to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue,” Kuretski said. “He’s been very clear about that."
Voters will also get to vote in Boynton Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Lake Park, Lantana, Loxahatchee Groves, Pahokee, Highland Beach and Golf on Tuesday.
Election officials in Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River County said there are no municipal elections in their county next week.
