The police chief's quarterly update also covered a drone-as-first-responder trial, while the council heard the Civic Center deck needs a rebuild and inlet dredging could cost $3 million.
JUPITER — Overall crime in Jupiter is down for a third straight year, the police chief told the Town Council Thursday, Nov. 5 — but financial crimes, AI-driven scams and e-bike crashes are moving the other way.
The quarterly update, delivered at the council's regular meeting Nov. 5, reported vehicle burglaries down from 58, residential burglaries down from 39 to 19, and auto thefts down from 29 to 10.
The pressures are elsewhere. Financial crimes and AI-driven scams remain prevalent, and the department has launched an education-first campaign plus a new detective-bureau initiative warning residents about the current scam in waves. E-bike crashes reached 14 in the first nine months of 2026, up from 11 in all of 2025, most involving school-age riders. The town's Jupiter Safe Rider e-bike program, launched at the end of July, has had 70 completions, and an e-bike rodeo is planned for January 2027.
The chief also briefed the council on a Palm Beach County e-bike ordinance that has passed first reading: it would ban riding for children under 14, impose a 15 mph sidewalk speed limit and prohibit e-bikes in roadways, enforced by a $64 civil citation payable to the county. It would apply only to county roadways, not Jupiter town roads, and the county's next action is Dec. 1. The department is staffed at 95 percent of allotted positions.
Drones reaching calls first
The department's drone-as-first-responder trial, run with Skydio and Axon since October, also drew praise. The drones launch remotely from dock stations at about 30 mph and fly directly to a call; four drones are planned. Video shown to the council included a house fire the drone reached before police and fire units, and last week's Indiantown Road gas leak, where the drone helped with situational awareness and traffic management. Mayor Jim Kuretski and Councilor Ron Delaney both praised the police traffic control during the gas leak, which shut down Maplewood and diverted traffic to Central.
Town Hall wins a construction award
The meeting opened with Kaufman Lynn Construction presenting the ABC Florida East Coast Chapter Excellence in Construction Eagle Award for the Jupiter Town Hall project, completed in 2024 and judged the top project on safety, quality and results. The builder also presented about 100 commemorative challenge coins, including custom coins for the police and fire departments. Kuretski thanked the firm for the four buildings it has delivered for the town: the police station, Town Hall and two fire stations.
Other business
- Town attorney's report: A cat-nuisance lawsuit filed by Melinda Waters was filed as instructed, and a hearing was rescheduled to December for medical reasons. The EQIX Energy lawsuit is in discovery, with one deposition done and more set before year-end.
- Town manager's report: King tides and heavy rain caused very few issues compared with neighboring communities. Water main replacement has begun in Yacht Club Estates. The Tony Penner Drive and Bush Road intersection project is complete, with a widened eastbound through lane and a dedicated southbound turn lane. A Veterans Day ceremony is set for Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 9 a.m., and a police shred event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14.
- Civic Center: Engineering and Public Works Director George Zama reported sections of the Civic Center deck failed and were removed; the failed section had 12-foot piles, against about 18 feet elsewhere. A redesign with deeper piling is underway, with design and permitting hopefully done in 6 to 8 weeks, by January. The county's beach renourishment for Segment One covers about 85,000 cubic yards of sand; five crossovers are closed plus the Civic Center, and the building itself is sound on historic wood piling retrofitted in the 1980s. Kuretski pressed for a public timeline.
- Jupiter Inlet District: A pilot program to dredge the inlet — survey, then permitting — would cost about $3 million one time. The council suggested a proclamation recognizing the district.
- King tides: Councilor Dan Guisinger asked that the King Tide assessment report, with a high/medium/low priority table, be posted on the town website.
No member of the public spoke during the citizen-comments portion or on the consent agenda. Every vote on the night went 5-0.
