Jupiter residents ready to fight fire with their own department

Voters back incumbents Jim Kuretski and Malise Sundstrom, both advocates of starting town fire department by next year.

Jupiter voters sent a clear message March 11: They want their own fire department. 

In a decisive victory for supporters of Jupiter’s break from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, two incumbents backing the town’s new service won three-year terms. A third fire department supporter faces a March 25 runoff. 

The victories of Mayor Jim Kuretski and District 2 Council Member Malise Sundstrom sealed the town’s commitment to starting its fire rescue service by October 2026.

Kuretski won with 56 percent of the vote against county firefighter and Council Member Cameron May, who had argued against the change. Sundstrom gathered 52 percent in defeating two challengers.

Jupiter residents “want us to move forward with creating our fire rescue department. There’s no doubt about that,” Kuretski said. “They (opponents) gave it their best. Voters said ‘no, thank you. We’re happy with the direction the town is going.’”

Kuretski, 70, has not lost since his first election to the council in 2001. He has been mayor for three years. 

While he had vowed in 2022 not to seek another term, he said he ran this time because of the fire department issue. 

“I am blessed that the public supported me based on my track record. I am so grateful. But I only ran this time for the creation of a fire department. I felt like I was the only one that could run with the efforts being put out by the (county firefighters) Local 2928,” Kuretski said. 

But this would be his last run, he said. 

Sundstrom, who voted with Kuretski in 2023 for the new fire department, avoided a runoff by securing more than 50 percent of the vote against challengers Linda McDermott and Willie Puz. 

In a Feb. 3 candidates’ forum, she reaffirmed her support for the new department.

“To stop or delay any of the projects to get this done puts our public safety at risk,” she said. 

In District 1, Phyllis Choy, a real estate agent and Palm Beach County Housing Authority commissioner, emerged as the top vote-getter with 44 percent. 

Teri Grooms, who argued in favor of a public vote on the fire department, took second with 40 percent of the vote. They’ll face off March 25. Andy Weston, the third candidate in the race, was eliminated with nearly 16 percent. 

“Fire dominated all the conversation,” Grooms said. “I’m disappointed that (those pushing to give the public a say in the new department) didn’t win, but I feel good. We’ll see what the turnout is (in the runoff).”

Choy has positioned herself as bringing “a new, fresh set of eyes and ears” to the council. 

Unlike her opponent, Grooms, who has served on town committees, Choy sees her outsider perspective as an asset.

“I think I’m coming into this without any preconceived bias or notions. I’m coming into it because I have skill, fiscal prudence. I can look at things objectively,” Choy said.

Choy raised $44,820, far more than Grooms, who raised $7,950. 

May outraised Kuretski, $22,600 to $15,600.

The election results delivered a notable defeat to May, who resigned his council seat effective March 18, to run for mayor.

May did not campaign against the new fire department but pledged his expertise to make sure it would be well run. 

“I hope to see them continue to build a really good fire department for Jupiter Fire so they can provide a really good service for the residents of Jupiter,” he said. 

May also pushed back against talk that his position as a county firefighter influenced his stance.

“The narrative that was being pushed about me was that I was running to stop Jupiter Fire Rescue even though I committed to not even touching it,” he said.

May, 37, is unsure whether voters will see his name on a future ballot. His immediate plans involve focusing on his family and advancing his career with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. 

“I don’t want to say no. But I’m going to take some time to reflect on everything and go from there,” he said. “It’s definitely a possibility.”

Local 2928, which pursued an unsuccessful lawsuit to force a public vote on the issue, is moving on, Vice President Mike O’Brien said.

“Residents had their time to make their voice heard during the elections,” he said. “Sounds like it’s definitely a closed case.”

The preservation of Suni Sands, a historically significant 10-acre property along the Loxahatchee River, emerged as another key campaign issue. 

Buying a portion of the property remains a major goal, Kuretski said.

“Our position is 4 acres can never be built upon. So we would hope that 4 acres would go into public ownership,” Kuretski said. 

Both Choy and Grooms supported preservation, though with different approaches. Choy expressed hope for preserving portions of the site while recognizing the rights of property owner Charles Modica, who has proposed building 72 condominiums and townhomes, a 125-room hotel and a restaurant and stores on the property. 

“He’s been paying taxes on this for many, many years,” Choy said. “He deserves to get a return on his investment.”

Grooms wants the town to secure the entire property but, like Choy, doesn’t want to raise taxes to do it. If elected, Grooms said her plan would be to use the rest of the town’s green space money, about $17 million, and garner community support and private investment for the rest. 

“Out of all the people running this election, I am probably the one that can least afford to have their taxes raised,” Grooms said. “So, I would not be sympathetic to raising taxes, even if it was for Suni Sands. It would kill me not to be able to buy it, but you’ve got to be pragmatic about some things.”

Editor’s note: Candidate Teri Grooms’ position on the fire department was corrected after initial publication of this story.