Our Village Voice VOL. 37 NO. 5
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Town Of Jupiter News Historic Preservation: Suni Sands Site
By Jim Kuretski, Mayor, Town of Jupiter Earlier this year, the Town of Jupiter reached a mediation settlement agreement with the Suni Sands property owners. The agreement did not approve any development. It simply set the ground rules for how the town and property owners move forward, while protecting a historic site. This site, also known as the Sperry property, is 10.43 acres in overall size, abuts A1A roadway on the south and the Jupiter Inlet Waterway on the north. It has well documented archeological and historical significance to the Town of Jupiter and State of Florida. Archeologists found evidence of 5,000 years of human habitation. It is the location of a 4.08-acre archeological midden and the original center of Jupiter. Located on the south side of the Jupiter Inlet, it was the northern terminus of the Celestial Railroad.
By Katie Roundtree, Director of Finance and Administration, Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District Purple martins, North America’s largest swallow species, migrate up to 7,000 miles from the rainforests of Brazil and the Amazonian Basin to the eastern United States and Canada. Their long journey highlights their resilience and inspires admiration in bird enthusiasts and nature lovers. Graceful in flight, musical in its pre-dawn singing, this big swallow is one of our most popular birds. Purple martins (Progne subis) are the only bird species in eastern North America that is totally dependent on humans for nesting sites today. Over most of their range east of the Rocky Mountains, they are unable to nest naturally and rely on humans to provide nest boxes. Martin housing has a long history: some Native American tribes reportedly hung hollow gourds around their villages to attract these birds, emphasizing our role in their survival. Thousands of human “martin landlords” maintain multicompartment nest houses, which are vital for the birds’
MAY 2026
Bill’s Box
Refer to the photo from 1889:
The property owners had filed a Request for Relief pursuant to FLUEDRA to consider whether the town’s Certificate to Dig (CTD) is unreasonable or unfairly burdens use of the property. The CTD prohibited digging and development anywhere on the designated 4.08-acre archeological site. Town Of Jupiter News on page 2
Northern Notes Purple Martins – Beautiful Birds That Need Our Help
By Bill Thompson Hello out there. How’s everyone doing today? I’ll take a chance to prognosticate nice spring weather with some needed rain for lawns and plants in our village, The Shores of Jupiter. What a great place to live. I can be designated a Shores pioneer, having moved into a brand new home in January 1989. There are a few of us still around. We overcame a few challenges in earlier days. The county wanted to build a road to connect Martin County to Indiantown Road—right through the middle of our Shores. Very long struggle reduced to a reference, The Shores board of directors sued our county and prevailed with a settlement that negated the road plan just in time. To resolve the traffic problem, Board member at the time, Jim Kuretski, walked off another route that served as a reliever road now named Island Way. The route served also the traffic laden Loxahatchee River Road. That is your history lesson for the day. Harley and I are great pals. He has given me an invite to share his bed. Mark Twain said, “Always do right; it will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Copy deadline for June is May 12, 2026.
survival. These efforts are essential because the birds depend on humanprovided housing to nest and raise their young. Human involvement directly supports Purple martins’ continued presence and success. Putting up martin houses used to be so common that John James Audubon used them to choose his lodgings for the night. In 1831, he remarked, “Almost every country tavern has a martin box on the upper part of its sign-board; and I have observed that the handsomer the box, the better does the inn generally prove to be.” Purple martins are highly social birds. After leaving the nesting colony and the care of the purple martin landlord, they form large, communal roosts where they sleep at night before and during migration. They also form communal roosts on their South American wintering grounds, often with other martin species. Fledgling martins become independent relatively quickly compared to other hole nesting birds. These young martins are fairly good flyers on their first day out of the nest, and Northern Notes on page 2
REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY IMMEDIATELY TO THE JUPITER POLICE DEPARTMENT
(561) 799-4445
Use 911 for emergencies only. Lock car doors. Do not leave valuables in the car.