Do Jupiter residents really oppose a town fire department? Town, union take issue to court

JUPITER — Do Jupiter residents really oppose the creation of a town fire department?

A hearing has addressed the topic that has consumed both Town Council meetings and space in email inboxes since it first arose in August.

Town officials say the efforts by a political action committee called Jupiter Residents to Keep Palm Beach County Firefighters have little to do with Jupiter residents. They say they are actually the work of a union tied to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue fighters, working with political consultants.

The union, Local 2928 of the International Association of Firefighters, says it never has tried to hide its support for the PAC, and that the 5,560 signatures of residents it helped gather for a ballot question proves that many favor blocking the move.

A hearing Tuesday took up the legality of the ballot question. The Town Council declined to put it before voters in March, calling it misleading and "legally insufficient."

To prove its point about the union's involvement, the town asked Circuit Judge Reid Scott to rule that it acted within its rights in blocking the ballot question, and to force the PAC to provide information related to the union's involvement in its creation. The PAC’s attorneys say this information is not relevant to the ballot question dispute.

During the hearing Tuesday, Scott sustained the PAC's attorney's objection to giving the town some records it requested, saying "a lot of potential privacy issues" could result if he granted the request. He did not rule on the ballot question, but directed the town's attorneys to meet with the PAC's attorneys to discuss more "narrowly tailored" subpoenas.

Tempers continue to flare about the issue at Town Council meetings, eight months after the split from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. The meeting April 2 saw a sharp exchange between council members Malise Sundstrom and Cameron May, a county firefighter/paramedic and the council's lone vote against the split.

In a Facebook post after the meeting, Sundstrom accused the union of trying to "ethically compromise" May by asking him to be the "public face" of the opposition, a charge with which May, a member of the union and at one point one of its officers, took issue.

“I’ve just been doing my duties as a council member," May said during the April 2 meeting.

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The fiery issue of why Jupiter is starting its own fire department

The Town Council decided in August to break off Jupiter's 40-year relationship with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and start its own fire department, citing concerns about rising costs, changing fee structures and controlling how its tax dollars are spent.

Ever since, speakers in matching white T-shirts have railed against the move at Town Council meetings, asking Jupiter to stop allocating money toward the department and to let voters decide.

The town says it doesn't have to. The Florida Constitution gives municipalities the power to create departments to provide public services such as fire departments under a concept known as "home rule." Jupiter and Wellington, both with about 60,000 people, are the largest communities in the county without their own fire departments. Nearby communities Palm Beach Gardens, Tequesta and North Palm Beach all have their own agencies.

The union's position is that nothing in state law bars Jupiter from putting the matter to voters. Both sides have defended their positions and attacked the other side's arguments in multiple emails to residents.

The appeals at public meetings haven't stopped the town from acting to launch the department, which would begin service in 2026. It has spent at least $7.5 million, hiring a fire chief and two other positions and buying four fire engines, four ambulances and a ladder truck. One of the trucks already has been delivered.

There is no guarantee town firefighters and paramedics will be members of Local 2928. The union's leadership has said the county has enough positions available that it wasn't concerned about firefighters stationed in Jupiter losing their jobs.

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What is the PAC behind the push for a Jupiter ballot question?

Jupiter Residents to Keep Palm Beach County Firefighters has a mailing address based at a local UPS store. Jupiter resident Ryan Sweeney, who is a Palm Beach County firefighter and union member, is its chairman. Its treasurer is William Stafford Jones, the state committeeman for the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee.

Jones has drawn attention for his involvement with PACs statewide, including ones that sent out mailers critical of Town Council candidates in Juno Beach's March election. The Gainesville Sun reported in 2019 that Jones operated 55 political committees in Florida and several nonprofits. Attempts to reach him this week were unsuccessful.

Jupiter Residents to Keep Palm Beach County Firefighters' most recent financial report, filed in January, indicates that Local 2928 is the PAC's leading donor, contributing $214,370, compared to $40 in donations from individuals. Town Attorney Tom Baird pointed out that the PAC and Local 2928 use the same attorney, Tampa-based Laura Donaldson, who has confirmed she does represent both entities.

A bulk of its funds — $67,015 — have been paid to Public Concepts, a public relations company headquartered in Jupiter that is known for leading political campaigns.

Jupiter Mayor Jim Kuretski said Public Concepts coordinated a campaign against him when he ran for the town's top office in 2022. Those mailers accused him of "defunding" Jupiter's police department, a charge Kuretski's history on the council did not support.

“They specialize in propaganda,” Kuretski said after the meeting. “It’s really difficult to counter that once it's out there. The frustrating thing is how much money Public Concepts and that group is spending to spread misinformation.”

Local 2928 President Jeffrey Newsome said the union endorsed Ilan Kaufer, Kurestski's opponent, in the 2022 race and that the union is certain that Kuretski is "trying to get even" with them for endorsing his opponent, Ilan Kaufer, in the 2022 race.

Kuretski denies the accusation and said his faith leads him to forgive quickly. He said the reason he supports the new fire department is to save residents tax dollars.

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"Anybody that knows me knows I don’t hold any grudges," Kuretski said. "My job as an elected official is to serve residents and businesses of Jupiter."

The town also wants answers about a function on the PAC's website that allows visitors to send emails to council members through a form that uses AI software.

Jupiter officials have said residents complained that messages they wrote in support of the department were edited to become negative ones.

Newsome said he had no idea whether this rewriting was happening. However, the PAC's website says it uses AI to generate custom messages to council members.

Newsome said the town is requesting information on "silly things" to delay the court proceeding, including the names of everyone to which the PAC gave a branded T-shirt.

"Requesting the volumes of records is their way of doing it," Newsome said in his email to The Post.

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An Aug. 24, 2023, email between Newsome and an official at Public Concepts that the town said it obtained as part of the case before Scott became an issue at the April 2 council meeting. It was sent about a week after the council voted to start its own fire department.

Sundstrom read it aloud. It outlined the union’s plans for outreach, petition circulation and communication. The email also called for May, then Local 2928's legislative vice president, to lead their “public-facing opposition effort."

“This was shocking to me,” Sundstrom said after reading it. “If you spend $215,000 in our community and you tell people that they are going to close fire stations or fire people then, yes, you’re going to get signatures.”

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May said during the meeting that he declined the union’s request to lead the public opposition effort. He also said that he stepped down from his position with Local 2928 as of June 1.

“As you can see, I haven’t been the face of a public opposition effort,” May said.

Sundstrom employed Public Concepts for her 2022 campaign, but said she worked carefully with it to build a positive campaign, with messages touting her candidacy and strengths. She said she would likely not work with the company again, "given this new information in the email and current feelings about them in the town."

Multiple residents defended their opposition to a town fire department at the council meeting, saying they weren’t influenced by the union. One insisted she wasn’t their “paid actress.”

“No one is forcing me to say anything,” said Jupiter resident Lisa Vreeland, who noted that she is not a Palm Beach County firefighter or member of the union. "I can think for myself."

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Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter seeks court ruling backing bid to create a town fire department