Jupiter zoning board member moves up to Town Council

Dan Guisinger is an aerospace engineer, most recently at Aerojet Rocketdyne.

In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the Jupiter Town Council appointed aerospace engineer Dan Guisinger to fill the vacant District 1 seat over 17 other applicants. 

Guisinger, who recently retired as chief engineer at Aerojet Rocketdyne, will complete the remaining 10 months of former Council Member Cameron May’s term, which expires in March 2026. May resigned to challenge Jim Kuretski for mayor in the March election, a race he lost. 

“Welcome, get to work,” Kuretski told Guisinger at the council meeting. 

Council members cited Guisinger’s technical expertise and town service as key factors in their decision. As a two-year member of Jupiter’s Planning and Zoning Commission — appointed by Kuretksi — Guisinger has overseen several development projects. 

“I think the biggest issue in our town has always been the approach to growth management,” Council Member Malise Sundstrom said. “I would say it can be helpful to have someone that’s on the record in terms of growth or growth management, what their position is on these items because it would give residents some comfort of what to know or what to expect as we go through the process.” 

She endorsed Guisinger only as did Kuretski.

“I also think it’s important to have spent time in the town and really understand the town,” she said.

Council Member Ron Delaney narrowed his list to two candidates: Guisinger and James Davis, who serves on the Jupiter Inlet District Board. 

Council Member Phyllis Choy considered Guisinger, Davis and Louis Coakley, a Beach Committee member, as her top three choices. 

“I think a team player is very important,” Choy said. “We do only have 10 months left on this appointment, so it needs to be somebody who can jump in, roll their sleeves up and just move forward.”

The council faces several issues, including the transition from county fire rescue to a town-operated fire department — scheduled to be ready by August 2026 — and ongoing negotiations about the development of the Suni Sands property on former Native American lands. 

During the same meeting, Jupiter Fire Chief Darrel Donatto gave the council updates on the fire department transition, requesting a transition plan and announcing the appointment of Andrew Armenis as fire marshal. The chief proposed a 60-day joint response period with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue beginning in August 2026.  

“We strongly believe that the first time we work together should not be on the scene of a complex and dangerous emergency,” Donatto said. 

The applicants for the vacant council seat included a family physician, a hospice nurse and environmentalist, several business owners and real estate professionals. 

To qualify, applicants needed to be registered voters residing in Jupiter’s District 1, which extends along Indiantown Road from west of Florida’s Turnpike to Alternate A1A and from Center Street to Indian Creek Parkway.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect Guisinger’s retirement from Aerojet Rocketdyne and to reflect that Guisinger has served two years on the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.