Town Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, the time is now 7pm and i'll call the order the town council meeting of Tuesday July 7 we're going to begin with an invocation followed by a moment of silence in the pledge of allegiance if all those that are able, please join me in standing.

Let us pray. Almighty God, we gather this evening grateful for the privilege of serving this community. May we be faithful stewards of the public trust, the resources entrusted to our care, and the responsibilities we have accepted. And may our words be thoughtful, our decisions guided by wisdom, and our actions reflect our commitment to those we serve. In all that we do, may grace and peace be with us all. Amen. We will now pause for a moment of silence.

Please join me in the pledge.

May we have a roll call, please?

Mayor Koretsky? Here. Vice Mayor Choi? Here. Councillor Geisinger? Councilor Sundstrom? Here. Assistant Town Manager Moreto? Here. Town Attorney Baird?

Here.

Okay, we begin tonight. We have a proclamation. I will be presenting to recognize Parks and Recreation Month, and I'll be presenting the proclamation to Kristen George, Director of Parks and Recreation, and whoever else she chooses to have join from her staff. proclaiming the month of July, 2026, as Parks and Recreation Month, whereas parks and recreation is an integral part of communities throughout the country, including Jupiter, Florida, And whereas parks and recreation promotes health and wellness, improving the physical and mental health of people who live near parks. And whereas parks and recreation promotes time spent in nature, which positively impacts mental health by increasing cognitive performance and well-being in alleviating illnesses such as depression, attention deficit disorders, and Alzheimer's. And whereas parks and recreation encourages physical and social activities by providing space for sports and fitness activities, walking trails, playgrounds, waterways, open spaces, and many other activities designed to promote active lifestyles. And whereas parks and recreation programming and education activities, such as schools out and summer camps, youth sports leagues, and open playtime are critical to childhood development. And whereas parks and recreation increases a community's economic prosperity through increased property values, expansion of the local tax base, increased tourism, the attraction and retention of businesses and crime reduction. And whereas parks and recreation are fundamental to the environmental wellbeing of our community. And whereas our parks and natural recreation areas ensure the ecological beauty of our community and provide a place for children and adults to connect with nature. And whereas the US House of Representatives has designated July as Parks and Recreation Month, and whereas the town of Jupiter, Florida recognizes the benefits derived from parks and recreation resources, Now, therefore, I, Jim Koretsky, Mayor of the Town of Jupiter, do hereby proclaim July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month, in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this first day of July 20, 2026. I thought you had a manager who wanted to join you.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, members of Town Council and the Office of the Town Manager. I know July celebrates National Parks and Recreation Month, but here in our department, we celebrate every day what we do as servants to this community. I just want to thank you for your continued support, especially over the last several years. I've spent 26 years of my life with the town, which is almost half of my lifetime. serving the community here. And I've never seen the volume of projects and programs that we're continuing to offer to our residents every day, as I've seen over the last two years. So that comes in part to your support and backing the community, backing us in what we do. We've had tremendous successes over the last two years. Today, we just broke ground on one of four new playgrounds that are breaking ground this month. We're currently replacing fields out at JCP, Jupiter Community Park. We've got new showers and drainage going in at the beaches here within the next couple of months. Lots of projects, and that's due in part again to your support and commitment. And I couldn't do it, we couldn't do it without this team that's here. This is just a small portion, probably about half of our team. They are committed daily, whether it's out maintaining fields, you know, escorting kids to the bathroom during summer camp, scheduling fitness classes for a 50 and over population. They're the ones that really put the effort into everything that we do. So for that, I ask that we give everyone a round of applause and celebrate with me on that. Thank you.

Thank you very much to you and your staff. And as we normally do, please, I want them to feel compelled to stick around. I appreciate them being here, but they may leave at their convenience. Okay, we're moving on to citizen comments. This is a time for non-agenda items. Interlimited to three minutes and in wishing to speak is asked to state his her name and address for the record prior to addressing town council. Council will not discuss these items this evening. Any issues that come forth will be referred to staff for investigation and report forwarded to Council and the citizens will be contacted. And when you get called up, I'll point out under both of the screens, right now it shows the time, but when you're introduced, there'll be a three-minute clock. I would ask you to wrap up when you see it get a minute to go. And we have a number of people that wish to speak tonight. And so I'm going to be pretty diligent about cutting people off at three minutes. So thank you.

Mayor, we have 24 speakers. As we call the speakers' names tonight, if you'll please use both podiums and approach as we call your name. Our first speaker is Dr. Stacey McDonald. Followed by James Doherty.

Mr. Kretzky and the board appreciate you having this open hall. I've been visiting here since 1976. My father lived here when it was a small town past U.S. 1 with farmland. We have always been an environmental city. The town dancers had an option to move to Carlin Park and they rejected that. So I have a petition with over 2,591 signatures to support them moving, not to shut down. I believe in the whole mental health and happiness of dancing. All we're asking is during turtle nesting season to relocate and they don't understand that or they choose not to do that. So we're asking for your help to enforce the federal and state law of protecting the endangered turtles. Thank you. Thank you.

Our next speaker is James Doherty, followed by Janine Soule, followed by Donna McKay. Please approach the podium as your name is called and wait for your turn. Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and Town Council. To be honest, I regret to even have to bring this up, and it's pretty much the same along that line. The reason why I'm here today is not because we have turtles that are endangered species. What we have is a group of that failed to do what they were supposed to do. A lot of these people were here for a long time, have lived in Florida, and they know about this thing. We have signs everywhere. As a former hiker and a hike leader, and I led whitewater kayak groups for Appalachian Mountain Club, which is a pretty large organization, I knew I had to follow all state, local, and federal laws. You didn't have to tell me, I just did it. If I didn't know a law and you told me, I right away corrected it. It never happened though. And there were areas we didn't kayak at certain times because the eagles would nest in certain areas. This group could have simply relocated without being asked. They brought this attention to themselves. Now they're in the local news. They're all over Facebook. I could tell you about a beach in Long Island very quickly. It was quiet. It was nice. It was fine until it ended up in the newspapers. It became overcrowded. And some of the problems that that caused, the town had to shut it down. They had to stop it. And some of the problems that started to happen are now happening there. I used to go myself and used to like it. I thought it was a beautiful thing. I want to see people go out and have a good time. I was there last May and what I discovered was because there's not a bathroom too nearby, not far away, they're climbing up into the dunes and they're using that for a bathroom. Unfortunately, if this doesn't get stopped, we're going to invite other groups here. And I can tell you it's probably going to be a disaster. That's what I saw on Long Island in New York. It was a disaster. And once you open up a box, some boxes are hard to close. So I'm hoping that in some kind of way, and I know they're already violating laws, but I know there's some kind of loopholes or something that they're taking advantage of. So I'm hoping that the town will Maybe get with the county or the state or whatever is necessary. I don't know what's necessary. And close those loopholes or maybe make a new ordinance and get this thing to stop happening. I wouldn't care if they gave them a pavilion for free across the street or whatever. They need to be off that beach. It's not right what's going on. And that's about it. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Thank you.

As a reminder, we have the two podiums. As your name's called, please approach the podiums. We have Janine Soule, Donna McKay, followed by Stacey Kerrigan.

Hi, Janie Soule. My address is 2000 South Highway 1A, Jupiter. I'm here to talk about the sea turtle protections also. The first speaker mentioned the Endangered Species Act. We have the Florida Marine Sea Turtle Act. I personally think Jupiter and Palm Beach have been great stewards for the sea turtles. We've been doing well with the lighting ordinances. We have very clean beaches, gorgeous beaches. We keep our dunes almost natural, beautiful dunes. So we're doing a lot on our part. I do think now is the time that we're going to have to put better language and better law into our ordinances. I think it's prudent. The speaker before me mentioned one event starts other events, and I do think this is going to get a ball rolling. So I do ask that, at a minimum, we get this put on an agenda in one of the future meetings, possibly workshops to work on this. I would love to see staff directed to create the language to set some new rules, prohibit the light and on the beaches itself. We're doing great on streets and condos, but we need to get light and for the people on the beaches, we need to prohibit open flames. We need to prohibit the amplified music and sound systems and possibly groups of five or more, 10 or more. I think we have loggerhead experts that could help with those numbers. There's going to have to be exceptions, obviously, for education and the research, science, things like that. But I think we can do better. I think it's time to look at a way to do better. Thank you.

Our next speakers are Donna McKay, Stacey Kerrigan, and Linda McDermott.

Hi, I'm Donna McKay. I live at Vanadu. off the beach road across from Beach Access 56. Several of us are big donors to the Loggerhead Marine Center. We've been involved with them for well over 10 years. They know about the situation. They've spoken to the town before one of their comments. They said that they are very concerned about this activity during nesting season because the excessive noise people and lighting can affect the nesting. Um, when we see people on the beach with lights during the night, you know, flashlights that don't know they're from out of town, we've asked them, Oh, Hey, you know, it's nesting season. Keep the light off. Everyone always complies. Uh, so I'm really shocked that this beach party has been going on for, I think at least two years now, well into the dark and no one's done anything about it. Um, Palm beach County is aware. I haven't heard anything back from them. Like the gentleman said before, there's no bathrooms in the area because it's Seabrook, Xanadu, and Oceanwalk. And they do go to the bathroom in the dunes. It stinks in the morning when you first walk down. There's no reason why they can't go do this at Carlin Park or Du Bois or some other place. And I'm just really surprised we can't even rake the beaches with to get the seaweed off with a machine because of turtle nesting season. We clean the beaches. We help the little turtles. Everyone's compliant. But, you know, they insist on going out there into the dark with lights and noise and people. And we just ask that the town do something to stop it because everyone in this area knows about the sea turtles. It's not a secret and it's not a little thing either. And I'm from Long Island. And the other gentleman said, you know, there was a problem with the beach. I know exactly what he's talking about. People know not to go on the dunes there. There's nesting birds and everyone's compliant. Or you want to keep the dunes up because if they erode, you know, when there's a hurricane, there's a problem. So we can't have people continuing the traipse down through the sea grapes, upsetting the endangered species and wrecking the turtle nest. So we ask that please take this into consideration and do something about it. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Stacy Kerrigan, Linda McDermott and Abraham Kern panel.

Hi everybody. Stacy Kerrigan, two zero three Xanadu place. Um, thank you so much for providing this forum for us tonight. Um, long time Jupiter resident. I've been across the street from the beach for the past six years. I know that there's a perception on the part of some of the dancers and their supporters that the residents don't like the noise or we don't want the parking or we think we own the beach. That's absolutely not the case. We moved to the beach knowing full well that there's free parking across the street. Everybody has access. My house backs up to Carlin Park. I hear the circus when it comes to town. I hear all the Shakespeare plays. I think it's great. I love the people watching. I don't think anybody should not have access to the beach. I think the gathering is lovely. I think the premise is lovely. The people all seem to be really nice. Um, but like Donna, I don't understand why somebody would actually want to continue to be there when two of the three species that nest on the beach are actually endangered and the other one is threatened. Um, I did a little bit of research cause I'm not an expert. Um, but, uh, in 2023, um, there were over 15,000 loggerhead nests, but in 2025 there were 13,000 for the green sea turtle. It reduced in 2023 from 91 37 to 76 38 leatherback hung around the same at about 200. Um, I wanted to show you, I did, this is very hastily done. I did it after work today. I went to the beach at my access and I walked all the way to 54 so past 55. And what I found was down at exit fifth, uh, entrance 53 up to 54, 54 nests, 59 nests between the ocean and the dunes. When you get to 54 to 55, that area in between, there's 34 nests. Then when you go from 55 to 56, there's 45. Then when you get back to 56 to 57, there's 60 nests. So it's almost cut in half. the two accesses that they, they occupy every time you walk to the beach to go down to the shore at 56, 57, the entire shelf where it goes down tons of, uh, sea turtle nests. You gotta be careful, wind your way through, um, not touch anything at exit 55 and I, I please go, go check it out straight to the beach. There's nothing. And you also, you can't have 300 people there and be more than 50 feet, less than, more than 50 feet away from the nests. So I believe that there's a direct impact. Turtles are spooked by silhouettes, by sound. They hear low frequency noise. And the female turtles will actually sometimes drop their eggs in the ocean.

Linda McDermott, followed by Abraham Carampanel and Cynthia Frasher.

Linda McDermott, Chadwick Drive, Jupiter. I'm so glad everybody said all of this because it gives me a little more time to say what I want to say because I agree with every bit of it. The last presenter really gave a very good illustration of why there may not be as many nests because sea turtles come here on shore. The mother leaves their eggs. For us, we the people, to take care of and nurture for eight weeks. They're there every minute of the day. for eight weeks that means at night when they're stomping and dancing and putting poles in the ground for umbrellas and torches and what have you eight weeks not just at night not just in the morning those eggs that are underground could die because of this activity and we will really never know okay so the sea turtles were here first dancing can move to a more suitable location Sea turtle natural habitats cannot. We, the people, must be advocates for protecting our sea turtles and reducing threats to their natural habitats. Each nest has around 100 hatchlings each. I want to protect them. I feel like I'm Mother Nature with children. We need to protect our sea turtles like we do our own pets. I have had healthy conversations with Deputy Chief Scott Kimbark here of Jupiter and I know the council as well as him continue to lead the way to try to find a more suitable location and compromise with the stakeholders. The issue is the organizer of this group is enjoying the advertising she's getting is trying not to compromise and delay the decisions and leaving all the actions to the town. And the town has been working on it. But to me, we cannot wait for an ordinance, although we probably should. And let's be the prize of the state and have the best ordinance there is because we have the densest sea turtle nesting grounds in the country. Let's be up there. Let's go to the state. Let's make this a national. Let's give news to us and our sea turtle protections. The dancing needs to stop. It needs to stop now, not just when they find a new. Stop it now. I believe a big obstacle here may be... Thank you. Maybe that mile market 55 where this promoter has the dance gathering is privately owned by ocean walk community. Their community representative seems to support beach dancing. We need ocean walk residents as advocates for our natural habitats. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Abraham Cameron panel, Cynthia Frasher and Linda Emerson.

My name is I live at 17033 Brian's Way. I agree with all these gentlemen and ladies that have talked about turtles. I do care for turtles. However, there's a big contrast here. We are looking for another place. We have stopped using lights and we stop at dusk. However, however, here comes a complaint when we have stopped that there are Cars in the parking lot at 9.45. On July 4th, we were gathering after the dance. The music has stopped. We are talking as a group. The complaint was we are still talking as a group. But somehow, nobody notices there was fireworks going on all around us. There is a problem. You're targeting a small group. And on top of that, I have been attacked as an immigrant. Let me make it clear to you. I am an immigrant. I am brown. And just because I'm not from here doesn't mean you can tell me to go back where I came from. That is absolutely not powerful. I've got threats on my life. This is how you behave? I think outside people have died. The memorial says they died so we can live in peace. I don't see peace. When I said I have a problem at the beach and I feel unsafe, they said my life was irrelevant. I'm sorry, this is not how we approach things. This is not how we discuss, and this is not how we find a solution. We are looking for another place. However, we as a group are being targeted. And July 4th mounted very clearly. Fireworks everywhere, but we are pointed out we're still on the beach talking. I'm sorry. And however, yes, I'm an immigrant. I came from India. But originally, I'm from the Middle East. But my ancestors came with Thomas the disciple, and that's why my name is Abraham. And I can tell you about 2,000 years of immigration, how we are still good where we are. Thank you very much.

Our next speaker is Cynthia Frasher, followed by Linda Emerson and Meg Robinson.

Good evening, Mayor and Councilmembers. Before I begin, I just want to say that I do not believe that the dancing and music is a direct portrayal of chastising immigrants or anything like this. I think it is all because of the turtles. Be that as it may, my name is Cynthia Frazier and I live in Juneau Beach. I'm here tonight because I'm concerned that the large organized gathering continues to take place on our beach every Saturday during sea turtle nesting season. This issue has been raised publicly. Residents have spoken out and we've heard from conservation professionals that large crowds and concentrated activity on the beach can discourage a female sea turtle from coming ashore to nest. Every Saturday night, the gatherings continue. I want to be clear. I'm not against dancing. I'm not against music, gathering, and enjoying themselves. My question is simple. Why does it have to happen there? Why, during the months when sea turtles are coming to shore to nest, can this gathering not simply move somewhere else? and there has been places that they can go. This is not a few friends quietly watching the sunset. This is a reoccurring gathering at the same place and same time every Saturday night with music, dancing, and large numbers of people concentrated into one area. So I think it's fair to ask, at what point does a gathering become an event? I am asking this council I'm asking this council to determine who has jurisdiction over these reoccurring gatherings, what regulations currently apply, and what can be done either by town or in cooperation with Palm Beach County to protect nesting beaches from large, organized gathering during turtle nesting season. This does not need to be complicated or confrontational. Let them dance. Let's gather. Let's enjoy our community, not just on a sea turtle nesting beach during nesting season. We have other places to go. The turtles do not. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Linda Emerson, followed by Meg Robinson and Jason Willenbrink. As a reminder, please approach when your name is called to the podium. Thank you.

I Council, thank you so much for listening to all of us this evening. I'm deeply encouraged by the amount of knowledge and facts and rational communication regarding this issue. Linda Emerson, 3900 County Line Road. I'm a coastal environmental scientist and educator, state permitted by the state of Florida to lead guided sea turtle nesting walks for four years. So I was out there for four years, four nights of the week, two years at Blowing Rocks Preserve and two years at Loggerhead Marine Life Center. Our town is something incredibly special, a world-renowned sea turtle nesting beach. It's something we can all be proud of, or as the town might say, it's uniquely Jupiter. There are two reasons we started the Marine Life Center, research and education. As we learn more over the years, we realize just how critical Jupiter's stretch of coast is to loggerheads, greens, and leatherbacks. We learned that the density of nests is an average of almost one every five feet, and when genetic testing was developed, we learned that the loggerheads who nest on our beach and swim to the Mediterranean to grow up as juveniles return here to the same beach where they were hatched. We learn more about sea turtle conservation every year. Regarding this issue, I saw a news clip where the son of the dancing group leader questioned the oceanfront building just south of Carlin Park. That's the Reef Club, and for those of us who are locals, we call it the ranch. But the question was posed more like a challenge, like if that building is there, we're not doing anything worse. But that building was built before the Endangered Species Act, before we knew better. It was before we learned what we know now about the importance of the dunes and the importance of our local nesting beach. A comment also on that group page said the Marine Life Center takes large groups and equated that with the dancers, but guided walks are highly regulated with only two trained scouts walking and watching in the dark with a night scope until a female emerges. They stay a good distance away and only bring the group along when she is actually digging the nest cavity and about to drop her eggs. The dance group has tried to make it seem like those supporting sea turtles object to dancing when it's never been that. It's always been the location of the dancing and the important time of years. Do we need more regulations and enforcement because of one group? I hope not. We have a community that respects and cares deeply about sea turtles. A recent post on the dancing page said the attendance was down. Quote, I know many of you are lying low until this blows over, but maybe it's something else. Maybe some people in that group have come to see how harmful it is and decide to do the right thing. I personally know someone who fits that description, and that's what we need to do the right thing.

Our next speaker is Meg Robinson, followed by Jason Willenbrink and Elizabeth Murray.

Hello. I'm not much of a speaker, so here we go. My name is Meg Robinson. I live in 1902 Windsor Drive, and I've been living in Jupiter for about 30 years, and I've done volunteer work with the turtles, with Loggerhead, Blowing Rock, and up in Hope Sound. One thing, I was a guide up in Alaska for a couple of years, taking people out to Glacier Bay National Park, and one thing that we did was we knew exactly what the rules were. We knew where to take our people, when to bring them out. We knew where we were allowed to go. We were not allowed to go. And I feel that Jupiter needs to have things cut and dry so that we know exactly what is allowed on the beach so that there's no gray area. This is allowed during turtle nesting season. This is not allowed during turtle nesting season. Um, And I feel that if we knew exactly what is allowed, then I think things would be a lot more clear. And I also feel that it won't invite other parties to come into the beach, say, who may want to have a drum circle or whatever after dark. So that's my input there. Also, I used to work in the Juneau Beach Pier, and that is run by Loggerhead Marine Life Center. their pier closes at sunset and opens up at sunrise. So there's a reason why they shut their lights off, why they get the people off the pier during these particular hours. And if you ever try to get a group of fishermen off the pier when the bite is on at sunset, At sunset, you know we can get the people off the beach who are dancing. So that's my input. I don't have a problem with people enjoying themselves and so forth like the rest of the group here. It's just the timing and the location. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jason Willenbrink, followed by Elizabeth Murray and Melinda Herndon.

Jason Willenbrink, 7,000 Block Military Trail. I'm a native Floridian of 55 years. I've seen it all out on the beaches and the ocean. I'm totally against this beach dancing at number 55 put on by this lady, Forelli, the organizer. One of my first concerns is she's advertising these large gatherings with hundreds and hundreds of people on all these Facebook groups throughout South Florida. I'm not sure if you're all aware of that or not. Okay, when you have a large gathering, and according to town code, where is this lady's permit? Where is this permit?

Lift it up. I've lifted it up. And 44 signatures.

The other one has 1,488 signatures. Also, I control a couple Facebook groups. One of them is called, that I've had for 10 years, called Jupiter Dog Beach Shark's Teeth Group. I have like 5,000 or so commenting on my website, on Jupiter Dog Beach. Totally against this beach dancing. This lady and her group is the laughing stock of South Florida and Palm Beach County right now, and something needs to be done and shut down. I've contacted also our congressmen, our state senators. I've gone all the way to Tallahassee on this matter. If I have to get Governor DeSantis involved in it, myself and my groups will. I'm asking that the city council ban this altogether year-round out there and make a town law to get rid of them. They can go dance at the pavilions across from the pier there, Carlin Park. Anywhere else, they can go back to Europe or wherever half of them are from because apparently they don't know Florida and what we have out there that's special, the sea turtles and all the nesting grounds that they're stomping, kicking sand on for four and a half or four hours every Saturday night from 6 to 10.30. They're out there with lanterns, drums, music, lights, and then you put 150 to 250 cell phone lights out there too and you have a disaster. I mean, and they're out there, I mean, stomping, kicking like this. Watch their videos. And that's about all I had to say on this matter. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Elizabeth Murray, followed by Melinda Herndon, followed by David Ufelder.

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Murray, 100 Paradise Harbor Boulevard, North Palm Beach. First of all, I'm all for love, peace, and the American way or whatever. But I'm not against dancing. I like dancing. I used to go to the safari club and go dancing. I'm pro-turtle. I am more pro-turtle than going to the beach to dance. So I believe in conservation. And it's not about restricting them from their activities, just asking them to adjust their activities to make it more possible to do the conservation of the turtles. Some of the issues that the speaker just mentioned are about the behavior. And they accuse some of the people who are not in favor of what they're doing as being haters, all kinds of bad things about us, and it's really not true. What it is is it's a classic tactic used by charismatic leaders who want to divide and conquer so that they can get their agenda met by, you know, having their followers agree with them and then start problems between the groups. And really, it's not that. That's not what it's really about at all. What this is, it's called whataboutism. It's misdirecting the rhetoric, diverting attention from the original criticism, which would be saying, you know, don't go to the beach and dance at night during turtle nesting season, and then they say, well, you hate us because we like to dance, and that's not the case at all. It's a classic technique used to control and manipulate people, and it appears to be working. So... It's a toxic behavior, but it ends up resulting in some sort of a plot or a plan that these people want to do. They don't want to have accountability for what they're really doing, so they want to gaslight everybody else. And I believe that I decided to focus on the social aspect of it, because all the scientific information has already been given. There's an old TV commercial, a lot of you are young, but you won't remember this, but some of you might. If turtles could talk, they'd say, get off my sandal. Remember that commercial?

Our next speaker is Melinda Herndon, followed by David Ufelder and Lori Bertrand.

Melinda Herndon, 200 Beach Road. I've lived many places on Earth, but Jupiter is the best because of the fortunate intersection of nature, kind people, and true freedom. I'm here to speak about turtle welfare because I'm genuinely interested in it, and I think we're paying attention to the wrong problems. Did you know that 100 people dancing for four hours once a week on a thousand square feet spot of beach presents a risk factor to nesting and live births of three-tenths of one percent as opposed to walking dogs off a leash on a beach? which has 150 times greater risk factor to those two situations. And most painfully, and the organization which we adore, but the Loggerhead Marine Center has some very important work to do because the highest risk to the nesting and to the life birth of turtles has to do with their ATV activities. And this creates a 400 times greater risk proposition versus the happy beach dancers. So this is something that can get resolved by a foot patrol. It can also get resolved by better driving patterns. You've all seen the marks. You've seen the way the ATVs drive on the beach. This is the number one problem for live births and for nests. You cannot have compacted sand and have success in this area. And we're blessed to have them. But, you know, please remember they're a post-trauma organization, and we need to consider how to avoid the post-trauma, the pre-trauma in their daily efforts. So, you know, we can take these two actions to improve that outcome for nests and live births. But I'm a big advocate of marine prop guards. 40% of our turtle population is decimated and they are there to attend to them. Thank goodness for them for that purpose. But let's mitigate against that issue in the first place. Our marine prop guards are taking up 40% of our turtles. This is the fundamental underlying problem. And if I am interested, my personal position on this is I choose kindness, freedom, conservation, and equal measure. And I know it's possible if we pay attention to the right things. And I have a few of these outside. If you're interested in meaningful next steps, everybody would contact and how we can get the ball rolling on a... POWERFUL BASIS FOR FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE THAT WILL AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE NUMBER OF TURTLES, THE SAFETY OF THE NEST, AND THE NUMBER OF LIVE BIRTHS. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID EUFELDER, FOLLOWED BY LAURIE BERTRAND AND LINDA SMITH.

GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TONIGHT. I'M A FLORIDA NATIVE. I WAS BORN IN GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL 75 YEARS AGO. I have lived in Jupiter for 40 years. I have been on the beach committee for 10 years. And I'm now the chairman of the beach committee. I'm here to talk about several issues. And the main one is that this turtle situation is we are speaking for the turtles. They can't talk for themselves. We have to protect them. One of the missions or the reason the beach committee exists is to aid the commission and coming in solving issues like this. The last time we were involved was the straws where they were trying to ban the straws on the beach, which incidentally is a problem for the turtles as well. So I'm suggesting that what we do is try to channel all this discussion and help the commission and let everybody work through the Beach Committee to come up with solutions, and then we can help present those solutions to the commission. Because I know you have a lot of issues to deal with, but that's what we are here for, from my understanding. So that's why I'm here tonight, to offer those services. I can't necessarily speak on behalf of all of them, but we have discussed this, but we haven't been able to do this in a concise manner. And having possibly a commissioner once in a while, especially during these... discussions I propose is to maybe come to the Beach Committee and help us discuss this together and come up with a solid proposal to stop this situation from occurring. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Lori Bertrand, followed by Linda Smith and Elena Fetto. As a reminder, please state your name and address for the record.

Hi, I'm Lori Bailey Bertrand. I live at 504 North Loxahatchee Drive. been in jupiter for close to 30 years um i've been to the beach dancing um situation about four to five times i just go with my dogs kind of sit away from the crowd just to relax people come up and meet my dogs and pet them some of you know them and know how cute they are so that's why we go in the few times that i've been there i've only seen 20 to 30 people there i haven't seen anything near 100 or 300. The last time I went was a few weeks ago before all of this controversy started, and I didn't even realize that it was turtle nesting season, but then I saw that the nests were marked. I do understand the concern for the turtles, and I think that we should protect them and their nests. I advocate protecting them. I actually, you may not know this, but I obtained an LLM in environmental law in 2012, and my goal was to work with endangered species. So if I can do anything to assist in this regard, I would be happy to do this. I think we should approach this in a more factual manner. There's been a lot of attacks of people personally. I don't think we get anything done in that regard. I think we need to look at it as fact-based and what our goal is here. I've seen a lot of hateful things on social media. And I would also like to say that when I was last there a few weeks ago, that the Jupiter Police Department was riding around on an ATV. And I did not think that that was very helpful to the turtle nest. If they need to monitor the situation, I do believe that they should be walking rather than riding on ATVs. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Linda Smith, followed by Elena Fetto and Penny Payne.

Hello, Linda Smith, Sierra Club Loxahatchee group, environmental chair, uh, Jupiter, Florida via Rio. I'm going to talk a little bit about the beach party, your strategic plan under green and blue open spaces. It says encourage good stewardship and maintenance of the town's natural resources. We can all agree that Jupiter's beaches are fabulous, and they're critical to Jupiter, our identity. When I refer to our beaches, I include the birds, fish, crabs, shellfish, and the sea turtles. We need to be good stewards to all of it, no matter whose jurisdiction it is in. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, they manage strict lighting and beach activities. and to prevent disturbances during nesting season. I think that's a big part of this whole criticism. Palm Beach County's Unified Development Code also addresses these issues. Is there a permit? Do they need a permit? If FDAP, FWC, alphabet soup, and PBCERM don't have the resources to enforce their regulations and laws, I hope Jupiter will fill in the gap. Just today, Commissioner Marino said in public that this is not in her jurisdiction. Okay. I don't know. So listen to the experts. The ones that log her ahead are the ones that are most expert in the area. Craft an ordinance as soon as possible. There's no reason not to have an ordinance in the books, even if you don't have to use it. And I cannot fathom the benefit to the town. I think it gives Jupiter a black eye. Please stop it at least until October 31st and be a hero. So now I'm going to switch topics because I don't come too often. I want to thank you and all the single family residents in Jupiter who religiously recycle. I remind everyone to reread the instructions on the bin because they're there. But You knew there'd be a but. Commercial and multifamily recycling is virtually non-existent. Palm Beach County is proposing a $1.5 billion, that is with a B, incinerator. And we're all going to be paying for that. And we're all going to be paying to be able to pollute more. We need to protect all of our natural resources. Yes, the beaches, but also that aluminum can, that cardboard box. Yes, there's a solid waste authority drop off down on Military Trail. It's not usually on the way to going to someplace. So please consider some recycling collection points in populated areas, maybe in regularly used areas, maybe next to the yellow clothing bin. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Elena Fetto, followed by Penny Payne and Anita Sade.

Good evening, Elena Fetto. I am an admin of Jupiter's largest local Facebook group. We have 40,700 members. And over the past several months, I have watched this issue bring a lot of division to our community. Mayor, I really appreciated your comments at the last meeting where you recognized that this isn't about just one group. This is also about future groups. and there will always be new gatherings, there will always be new organizers and new activities. I really appreciate the council's willingness to bring clarity regarding amplified sound, large organized gatherings, consistently scheduled and widely promoted events, and when permits should be required. I asked the council to consider science based protections that include reasonable limits on amplified sound restrictions on fireworks during turtle nesting season, thoughtful management of nighttime beach activity and educational signage at every public beach access. These are not new ideas. Communities such as Volusia County and Ponce Inlet have prohibited fireworks on their beaches. And the city of Naples has embraced public education through its Lights Out for Sea Turtles campaign and educational materials explaining why artificial lighting threatens sea turtles. Clear, science-based ordinances and public education will benefit everyone. They will provide residents, visitors, and conservation groups and law enforcement with the same clear expectations while helping protect one of Jupiter's greatest natural resources. I'll close with a personal reflection. Many Christians know that God's word to mankind is, be fruitful and multiply. What stands out to me is that before God spoke those words to humanity, he first spoke them over the creatures of the sea. He said, be fruitful and increase in number, and fill the waters in the seas. Thank you for protecting our mother sea turtles and allowing them to carry out God's commands. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Penny Payne, followed by Anita Saad and Lisa Stack.

I came up for my mother. I'm speaking for, I think she might have checked the wrong box on the green paper. My name is Lisa Stack. Her name is Anita Saad. She's not speaking.

Okay, thank you. If you'll wait until your...

Good evening, mayors and counselors. My name is Penny Payne, and I'm a lifelong resident of Palm Beach County. I'm here tonight to speak on a matter that requires immediate decisive action and unpermitted large-scale social gatherings and free-form dance events taking place on our Jupiter beaches, especially on Saturday evenings. This is not an attack on the casual use of our beaches, nor is it a rigid demand to disallow social endeavors, community expression, dance, or wellness circles. $17,445,000. That's the amount of money that's been invested over the last 10 years, all to be negated by one group. Our ask, one standard for our sands. JPD and FWC to know the ordinances, to respond, and to enforce, a review and an update of the code and mandates to address the concerns today and future as related to our community's resources, residence, and sustainability, and, if need be, through the Beach Committee, a task force to review and make recommendations for the ecological, regulatory, and legal necessity for coastal enforcement. Florida Atlantic University, the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida, Nova Southern University, University of Miami and similar research centers all agree that relocation and continued protection of our natural resources are essential. The conflict before you arose before a periodic and regularly recurring human activity directly threatened federally protected endangered species on our local shores, systematically bypassed public health laws, and flagrantly violated basic municipal ordinances. When the line was crossed, it ceased to be a harmless community gathering and became an ongoing regulatory violation. It is our collective responsibility as residents and your explicit duty as our governing body to step in. In 1966, the Jupiter Town Council first established to prevent activities that obliterate our marine nursery systems. This body, forgive me, this body of exhausted research started by Eleanor Fletcher, the local researcher who founded what would eventually become the Loggerhead Marine Center eventually became the Palm Beach County's unified land development code and with that the sea turtle protection zone. You know it to be protecting our beaches and our nesting March 1st through October 31st. We have both considered the peaceful intent of the gatherings of happy dancing and that a nighttime beach event that utilizes amplified sound or unauthorized activities such as the happy beach dancing group causes a nesting female to spook and abandon her nesting attempt. The activities transition from a simple municipal noise nuisance to a severe violation of local, state, and federal law. I'll just mention a few other laws. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Florida Marine Turtle Protection Act, codified under Section 379.2431, And I just want to mention that the Town Municipal Code Section 13201 and the County Ordinance Article 14, Section 3, I believe, all protect us. Thank you for your time.

Our next speaker is Lisa Stack, followed by Tyler Sievers.

Hi. Thank you for letting me speak tonight. My name is Lisa Stack. My address is 420 Celestial Way, apartment 302, Juneau Beach, Florida. There are other challenges that our sea turtles already face that make protecting every successful nest even more important. Beach erosion continues to shrink and alter the nesting habitat that female turtles have relied on for generations. In some areas, excessive seagrass and algae growth can also affect the health of our coastal ecosystem and the near-shore habitat that turtles depend on for feeding and survival. These environmental pressures are already working against them. We can't control every natural challenge, but we can control the human activities that add even more stress during the short and critical nesting seasons. If we truly want to protect Jupiter's sea turtles, we need to address every avoidable disturbance. Giving nesting females a quiet, dark, undisturbed beach is one of the simplest and most effective things that we can do. When history books look back, I hope it will say that our community chose conservation over convenience and stewardship over short-term entertainment. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Tyler Sievert.

Good evening. Uh, town council, uh, unlike a lot of the other people here, I'm not a resident from, uh, Jupiter. I actually come from Boca Raton. Uh, but I was pointed to this issue by a colleague and on Facebook and several, uh, the Jupiter residents on Facebook, uh, reached out to me and asked for me to drive the hour and a half here. Uh, so I could speak because of my unique experience. I'll give you some background on my qualifications. I have been a career park ranger for both state, city, and county governments. I've also been an educator in environmental sciences and worked for the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management. I've done hundreds of sea turtle walks. I have rescued and rehabilitated sea turtles personally. And I've been in enforcement in the law enforcement sector with enforcing ordinances, rules for several city organizations, including Deerfield Beach and other cities that have sea turtle nesting season. I've issued citations, I've removed people, and I've issued warnings for bonfires, music, crowd control, all these things that happens on every beach. So I was kind of baffled when I learned about this situation up here in Jupiter. I've never seen any group that was as stubborn as this group seems to be in complying with I have no problem with them doing, and I'm sure a lot of other people here have no problem doing what they're doing as long as they do it before sunset and as long as they don't have lights or music. I have personally myself seen sea turtles turn around and head back into the water at a mere flashlight hundreds of yards away down the beach. So to say that dancing is not going to affect them is just ridiculous. The whole whataboutism and stuff like that with fireworks and I don't, unfortunately that lady left, but the talking about the tracks of the ATVs is absurd. Um, in fact, I don't know obviously what the town of Jupiter police department uses on their ATVs, but every ATV I've ever driven on the beach has special tires that are specifically designed to be driven on the beach. And all of this is done to protect sea turtles. So this group seems to be misguided and I don't understand why this hasn't been, uh, solution hasn't been presented yet. So hopefully what I'm hoping you guys will do is look to other cities such as Boca, Deerfield, Miami Beach, Naples, dozens and dozens of other cities, counties across Florida that have ordinances that prevent groups like this from participating during sea turtle nesting season and take their word for it, not ours, not other visitors. Go to their Facebook page and they're talking about 300 people attended their event last time and and they have videos and showing them the music and stuff. I don't understand why this has been such a big deal, but I'm hoping that these solutions will come about by writing these ordinances to prevent this because as other people said, this is just the first group. It won't be the last group. Thank you.

Mayor, that was our last speaker. We do have four cards that did not wish to speak. Anita Sade, Gwen Sade, Darian Scorgi, and Sophie Robinson, all with a note to save the turtles and the beach.

Thank you. Okay, as we wrap up citizen comments, and I had indicated that we won't be discussing these matters tonight, but just want those that took the time to come here tonight, we appreciate, I think every one of us on the dais, every single person that spoke, I was writing down notes, so we appreciate it. We appreciate everybody's inputs and thoughts. We're taking this matter very seriously. We're looking into what perspective regulations need to be enhanced so that in the future this could be dealt with quicker than we have. I know that our police have been putting a lot of time on this, trying to work with the group. And I'll acknowledge and share, I'm just surprised that they're being as stubborn as they are as well. But we are taking this very seriously as a council. We're taking this very seriously as a council and I know our staff's been working. We each meet individually with our town manager and get updates on this. And I think it probably will be the case that others beyond our jurisdiction may need to kind of weigh in with regulations. to really do this properly. Because if those existed already, we would have been able to take action and they don't. So again, appreciate everybody's time. Just wanna assure you, you've been heard, We all value our environment and cherish the fact that sea turtles have chosen Jupiter to nest at. It's one of the many, many things that make us special. So thank you for coming out, and we're going to move on with our regular meeting. So if those that would like to leave, go ahead, because we're not going to be discussing any further. Thank you.

Two-minute restroom break.

Thank you so much.

Okay, I know one of our Council members stepped out, but we do have a quorum so i'll just let me just move we have before us the minutes of.

The.

June 16 town Council meeting in June 18 workshop and there are some corrections on the dias for the June 16 meeting. And I'll take a, if there's no other corrections, I'll take a motion and a second to approve the revised minutes, the 16th meeting and the minutes of the 18th workshop.

Motion to approve the minutes as amended. Second.

Motion to second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Motion carries unanimously with Councilor Geisinger just having stepped out momentarily. He'll be joining us back. Moving on to the consent agenda, and I'll wait until he's back to proceed with it, but was there any member of the public that wished to pull a consent agenda item? No, sir. Any member on the dais wish to pull one? Yes, Mayor. Item 6, please. And I was going to pull number 11.

And I'm going to pull 3 and 12. 3 and 12? Yes.

So we're not. We have a request to pull agenda items 3, 6, 11, and 12. Counselor Geisinger, did you have any other agenda items too? Seeing none, I'll take a motion and a second to approve the amended consent agenda, excluding items 3, 6, 11, and 12.

So moved. Second. Second.

Motion second, all in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries four to zero. Okay, moving on to the first item pulled, Ordinance 2926 from, I think it was from Councilor Sundstrom.

Correct. Thank you. I just had a quick question. For these fees, I see that we're going to be looking at it in 2030. These are one-time fees. Why would they not be attached to CPI, and do others typically do that?

Others do do that, and currently Palm Beach County does do that. They allow for CPI. Because the department is so new, we want to go back and reevaluate in the next few years to reevaluate the fee itself. This is based on current data that we have in building the fire department. So we felt that it would be necessary in the next few years to come back and reevaluate to set the fee properly.

Okay, thank you.

That's it. Nothing else? I'll take a motion and a second on Ordinance 2926.

Motion to approve Ordinance 2926.

I'll second.

And I ask the town attorney to read Ordinance 2926.

ordinance twenty nine twenty six in ordinance of the town of jupiter florida creating article nine chapter twenty four of the town of jupiter code of ordinances entitled fire rescue impact fee. Providing for the imposition of an impact fee beginning october one twenty twenty six on land development in the town of jupiter to provide for the funding. of capital expenditures associated with the construction or improvements of public facilities and fire department and emergency medical services vehicles necessitated by new development, providing for intent and purpose of, as authorized by Section 163-31801 Florida Statutes, providing for computation of the amount of fire services impact fees, providing for the payment of fire services impact fee as the prerequisite for issuance of a building permit, providing for the periodic review and adjustment of the impact fee, providing methods for payment of the fee, providing for the placement of revenue collected from fire rescue impact fees into a fire rescue impact fee trust fund established for that purpose, providing for the limitation of expenditure of funds from the fire services trust funds to certain capital costs, providing for exemptions and credits, providing for refund of unexpended fire rescue impact fees, providing for codification, providing for the repeal of laws in conflict, providing for severability, providing an effective deed.

Got a motion and a second on Ordinance 2926. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries 4-0. I missed an item on the consent agenda, and I just think I should still bring it up. Agenda item four was the quasi-judicial. Does council have any ex parte disclosures on that item? None. No, no, none and I thought that was the case, but I should need to get it on the record. Moving on to number six pull by system town manager, I think you want to give us an update on that.

Yes, Mayor staff would just like to request that Council consider moving the start time to 630pm to allow for a CRA budget workshop at six o'clock prior to the Council workshop.

Take a motion.

And approve 6.30 start time.

Is that making a motion?

Yeah, to approve a change to the 6.30 start time for that workshop.

OK. Second? Second?

Second.

Motion and second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries unanimously. Moving on to agenda item 11, resolution 7226. I pulled this item. I pulled this item and I had asked and gotten answers to my questions and I appreciate that response from staff. But I'm not supportive of issuing an award, a contract to Calvin Giordano and Associates. You know, my concern was the fact that their bill rates were 47 to 106 percent higher than the number one ranked bidder. 106 percent would be during disaster events and what have you. I just feel, and I appreciate they would be used, the staff indicated, as a last resort, as an obligation to, statutory obligation to do certain functions. I just don't feel right about the possibility of, you know, in a disaster situation, using somebody that's 106 feet, percent times you know what the you know the normal base rate is um and i just wouldn't want to get into a situation particularly with some of that might even be fema recoverable so i i rather i would rather not so i will not be support i will gladly support a contract award to uh the first two uh uh but not the calvary or donald so i just turn it to council and I didn't really have any questions. You did answer. Thank you.

I'd like to ask one question. Is there any advantage having two contractors versus three? It looks like this third contractor, CGA, just regurgitated our proposal back what we'd be willing to pay as opposed to giving what their price would be.

The only advantage is it's hard to find licensed people in each discipline. So if we're short on, let's say, electrical plants examiner and I can't get one from UES or CAP, they would be our last resort to try and bring somebody in so we can continue to get the permits out.

May I ask how often that happens?

Not very often. I don't remember the last time we actually used Calvin Giordano. We have him on contract right now, but I don't think we have used him the past eight years.

So based on that, I'd be okay leaving them on since their opportunity for using seems to be small. And in case of a natural disaster, it would be beneficial to have three. So I'd be supportive of the resolution as written.

I agree with that. I think it's important to have the redundancy. I agree with the mayor. The pricing is disadvantageous, but it's helpful to just have them as a tool if it ever comes to that. And it's good to hear that we haven't. had to have those prices yet.

So thank you. I agree with the mayor on the pricing, but I do agree we have to have something in the toolbox in case it's necessary. So I would support it.

To the motion and a second resolution 7226.

Motion to approve resolution 7226. Second.

Motion to second, all in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed, nay. The motion passes three to one with Mayor Koretsky dissenting. Moving on to number 12, I believe it was pulled by Councilor Sundstrom.

Correct. I'm being told that we should try to postpone this item. The school district needs more time for review. So with that, I'd like to make a motion to postpone Resolution 9026.

I'll second.

Motion to second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries unanimously. Moving on to reports. Town attorney.

I have no report this evening. Thank you, Mayor.

Town manager.

Yes, Mayor. I have a couple of updates for the council, as you all may have heard and hopefully have two members of the Jupiter Fire Rescue Team recently deployed to Venezuela with Florida Task Force Two, which is a specialized urban search and rescue unit. deployed by FEMA to assist with recovery efforts after the devastating earthquakes that hit that country. Division Chief Robert Ramirez and Captain Kenneth Olson left on June 26th and then safely returned this past Sunday, July 5th. While there, Chief Ramirez and Captain Olson worked 12-hour shifts and helped to locate individuals buried under collapsed buildings. Chief Ramirez and Captain Olson are getting some well-earned rest tonight, but we'll be sure to bring them to a council meeting in the near future to recognize their efforts. Next week, the Jupiter Police Department will partner with the Florida Department of Transportation for Operation Southern Slowdown. This campaign will involve officers conducting additional awareness and enforcement efforts regarding speed limits and aggressive driving. And I wanted to remind the council that next Thursday, July 16th, the town will hold a dedication ceremony for the statue at our recently dedicated police memorial. The ceremony will be held outside of the Jupiter Police Department building and will begin at 3 p.m. I'm also happy to announce that the town recently completed three more high visibility crosswalks around town, bringing the total for this project to 15. The new crosswalks were installed along Heights Boulevard, Jupiter Lakes Boulevard and University Drive, and they include flashing lights to better alert drivers when pedestrians are in the crosswalk. And as you're all aware, this is part of one of our strategic initiatives aimed at improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety within the town. Another announcement of good news for the fourth consecutive year, the utilities department was selected as utility of the future today by the Water Environment Federation. This award is based on the town's commitment to innovation and excellence in utility management. So congratulations to our utilities team. And finally, I'd like to recognize some of our employees who are celebrating milestone work anniversaries with the town in July. Two of our police officers, Brandon Lowe and Matt Hobby are both celebrating 10 years of service. Meanwhile, Kelly Hills, a building support specialist and Paul Ruddock, one of our code compliance officers are also celebrating 10 years with the town. CJ Land, the town's traffic engineer, and Mike Lowe, one of our engineering inspectors, are both celebrating 20 years as am I. So that's all I have, Mayor. Thank you.

Thank you. Council Gossiker?

I just want to add one thing. Some of you may already know this, but I'd like to recognize our Jupiter area public schools. Last Wednesday, the Florida Department of Education released their school ratings for the 2025-26 school year. I'm proud to report that Jupiter Public Area Schools received an A rating, which I believe is a first for the community. Congratulations to our students, teachers, staff, and school leadership for their hard work and dedication. Achieving this outstanding milestone, this is a remarkable accomplishment, and the entire community should be proud. I've also requested in the future that schools our district representative on the school board mark lane come and make a presentation and maybe bring some of the local high school leadership here for that and that'll probably be planned sometime in the fall when school returns so that's all i have thank you councillor sunstrom lots of good news all around i just wanted to report i'm sure you all know already but we were able to get um six of eight of our appropriations requests which is wonderful news um

Two of the projects that we didn't get, one of them was the athletic field repairs, and there will be a report circulated to you, but the county... has its final legislative report with all appropriations requests across the county as well as what was vetoed. So you can see some trends. And every single request to do with parks or recreation was vetoed. So it's not just us, it's everyone. The other one was traffic signal preemption. We were able, and I'm so excited to say that we're getting the Tony Pena and Central Boulevard intersection improvements. That's a really important one. And So that's wonderful to hear. But some of the signal preemption was also vetoed out in other communities as well. So you'll be getting that tomorrow and we're thrilled. I understand that our lobbyists may be coming to a future meeting. It may be the next meeting or down the line, but we want to thank all of our representatives, all of our senators who fought so hard for us and for these appropriations. Um, And I also want to thank just everyone that came out tonight. You know, we don't typically comment during public comment, but we do occasionally make comments now during our comment period, which is council comments at the ends of meetings. So in case anyone's watching tonight, I just want to say thank you. I want to thank you for coming. I want to thank you for sharing your perspectives and ideas. Some of these ideas are new to me. I thought I had collected most of them from social media, but some of them I'm hearing for the first time tonight. We are working hard on this, as the mayor said, and our JPD, I'm very thankful for sitting here right now, was here the whole meeting, listening to everything, has been on top of it, truly. So we are working very hard on this. We're very aware. We're listening. Thank you. And thank you for being so respectful. I thought it was a really good evening and very helpful to us.

So thank you.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you. I want to repeat, Councilor Sundstrom, I was very proud of the respect that was shown in the council this evening.

Many, many opinions have come forward.

A lot of nuance, which is very interesting, and I appreciate that. It has to be a priority for the town of Jupiter. There's no question, and I think the passion on the council... will help demonstrate that a solution has to come forward, and a solution needs to come forward sooner rather than later. I want to congratulate Parks and Recs again. I believe the unique Jupiter that we have comes from our Parks and Recs, our staff, the quality of life that we can offer. In addition to what we heard tonight, I think for me, sitting here brings back We are uniquely Jupiter, and we will solve what has to come about, whether it's an ordinance, a code, we'll all work together. And congratulations to all of our staff. The long-term staff members, I don't know if there's another municipality, town, city that can hold the record against Jupiter. The staff is amazing, and I want to thank you all. And the Jupiter Police Department, I was so glad to hear the gentleman speaking about his ATV on the beach. I learned something on the wheels on that one. But thank you for everything that you do. And thank you for being here all the time. It's important for our residents to see it, but I appreciate it sitting here.

Thank you. Just a few quick items. I just, you know, Our talent and talent manager or system town manager in our meetings talks about those that have had anniversary dates, you know 510 15 but we also had in the June 26 weekly report. our Club 20, which are employees with 20 or more years, of which we have 102, 14 of which were new first-timers. And that includes a number of people. When you look at the list, it was interesting to see many that have done, have provided great contributions. Some we don't get a chance to see as counsel. but a number of them we're well familiar with, and certainly our assistant town manager is on there, so I really want to give her a special recognition. You know, she was the communications department when she started, so look where we've come. Tremendous. Appreciate all the efforts, so thank you for that. Crosswalks, I just want to give a shout out on that, and that's an item that you know I brought it up as a strategic item but I'm just delighted how as as in many of these items staff just takes it and you know continues to progress you know on that to make sure we're dealing appropriately with pedestrian safety and for those that may not know the crosswalk at longshore and central one for my neighborhood it's a very unique intersection that changed over the years when i first when we first annexed into the town we used to have two police officers that would uh control traffic leaving the community uh for every single school day for a number of years and then that intersection was uh And it was, even at that, it took 20 minutes or more to get out of the neighborhood. But it's changed over the years. But just what I wanted to share was, so we hire consultants that, you know, I try to make sure I'm holding to a high standard of And the consultants we were using said that there was no crosswalk that could be put at Longshore and Central Boulevard. It was an odd situation and nothing was allowed. Our staff didn't give up. Very familiar with codes. and in fact found a crosswalk that would work there and that's an area that um you know it's some pedestrian safety enhancements were needed particularly to help out the school crossing guard you know in the morning so uh and i got a big thank you from her passed on to me from my wife when She saw it for the first time because just the nature of that crosswalk. So I just shout out to staff for never giving up. State grant funding success. Thank you. You know, I attribute that to a tremendous team effort. Certainly we had our designated council representative, Councilor Sundstrom, helping to champion that. I know staff put in a tremendous amount of work. And then, you know, our lobbyists, I believe, and I don't know this, and I don't want to spend the time to research, but this may have been the most successful state grant funding I think that I can never remember, and I think it's attributable to the team. And I didn't expect to get any, you know, the way the governor had been. I thought he was going to line item everything. So, you know, to get six of eight is just extraordinary. So I just want to recognize the entire team, not leaving anybody out. because there were so many that had been involved and even the guidance for us as a council to put in letters and such, you know, all that probably, probably did make a difference. Um, and again, I think it's the most successful we've ever had. And then, um, then lastly, just turtles on the beach, you know, I know members of the public come in particularly since it is our rules, you know, not to kind of talk about them, but, uh, But I always find it interesting how much I learn from the different speakers. And people sitting out there don't know if you're not making eye contact. But I always write the name, and I do a takeaway from individuals. And it's remarkable, on a topic that I would have thought I was already versed in, how many new ideas and information that is relevant. You know that I heard from the group. I appreciate, you know, the individual that came from all the way from Boca. And I especially want to thank our police department, often particularly our police department, but this applies to really all of our staff. You know, these situations when they arise. they're handcuffed to some degree by what regulations are in the books and they just still try to navigate it to a conclusion. So I appreciate that. And just want to reemphasize that it was the council's request that, you know, we obviously need to get some kind of improve regulations, uh, enacted and it may be beyond the town and if that's the state we need to do it because um you know we can't we we can't go through this again another total season you know with not being able to stop that kind of activity um during turtle season um but uh and i think i'm speaking for all of us on council and emphasizing that And so with that, the time is now 829 and we'll adjourn the meeting.