JUPITER, Fla. — Jupiter is about to have its own fire department for the first time, and the town council is taking a major step to make it happen.
The Jupiter Town Council is voting on a preliminary funding resolution that will help determine how residents pay for the new Jupiter Fire Rescue department.
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Jupiter Fire Rescue is projected to cost nearly $10 million less in its first year than what the town currently pays for fire service. Jupiter Fire Rescue Chief Darrel Donatto said the department is on schedule, on budget, and ready to serve.
More than 1,500 people applied for just 90 spots on the new force. Thirty-six of those firefighters start Monday.
"We were able to hire the best of the best, some just incredible talent, but more than just incredible talent, people with just incredibly great servant attitudes and servant hearts to serve this community," Donatto said.
Those first 36 firefighters bring hundreds of years of combined experience to the new department. Full service begins October 1.
Tonight's vote is one of several still ahead before October 1. The council is deciding whether to move forward with a per-property fee that would help fund the new department — a fee that town leaders say will still cost residents less than what they pay today.
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