Jupiter Inlet Colony commissioners vote 3–1 to forfeit Commissioner Marie Rosner’s seat over insurance payments

A majority of the Town Commission of Jupiter Inlet Colony voted to forfeit the office of Commissioner Marie Rosner after a quasi‑judicial hearing that found she applied for and accepted employee insurance benefits paid by the town.

Town counsel Nicholas Giesel opened the evidence presentation by showing an "optional employee benefits election form" bearing Rosner’s name and a ledger of monthly premiums. Giesel said the payments totaled $6,017.90 and were charged to the town’s general fund. He argued the town’s original charter (1959) and the town’s 2024 charter expressly prohibit elected officials from receiving compensation, and cited Attorney General opinions and Palm Beach County ethics provisions that, he said, treat employer‑paid life/health premiums as compensation. "Receipt of employee insurance benefits is considered compensation under Florida law," Giesel told the commission.

Heidi Seigel, the town manager, testified that she discovered the enrollment form and the invoices while organizing town files and that the payments were made from the general fund. Seigel said she notified Commissioner Rosner and later the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics and the county inspector general; she testified the ethics office found legal sufficiency to investigate.

Commissioner Rosner denied knowingly doing anything wrong. She told the panel she was asked by a town administrator shortly after taking office whether she wanted to enroll in a group policy, said she paid the premiums and later canceled the policy, and said she reimbursed the town only after the matter was raised by the town manager. "I was under the assumption I will pay it," Rosner testified, adding she never used the supplemental policy.

Rosner’s counsel urged the commission to seek a judicial declaration about which charter and legal standard apply before deciding removal, saying the question turns on the definition of "compensation" and on whether Rosner acted with wrongful intent. The defense argued the situation was atypical, that Rosner paid premiums and did not receive a net financial gain, and that a judge should clarify legal standards.

After hearing testimony, reviewing exhibits and hearing opposing counsel’s arguments, the commission moved to adopt a resolution finding that Commissioner Rosner had applied for and accepted insurance benefits that constituted compensation and a special financial benefit in violation of the charter and Palm Beach County code of ethics. The motion passed on a 3–1 voice vote. Commissioner Sealy was recorded as opposing; Commissioner Rosner did not participate in the vote. The commission read Resolution No. 2025‑05 into the record and removed Rosner from the commission.

The town manager’s testimony and the exhibits entered into evidence include: the optional employee benefits election form naming Commissioner Marie Rosner, monthly premium line items (one example listed at $274.76), and a final check dated May 7, 2025, that Seigel said fully reimbursed the town after the issue had been discovered. Seigel testified she had reported the matter to the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics on April 28, 2025, and to the county inspector general the week of May 14, 2025.

The commission set a special meeting for Aug. 25 to discuss replacement of the vacated seat and other business. The town clerk will publish the resolution and administrative instructions for filling the vacancy.

What’s next: The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics and the county inspector general investigations are ongoing, and the removed commissioner has filed suit seeking relief, a matter referenced repeatedly during the hearing. The commission’s action removes Rosner from the seat; procedural steps to fill the vacancy will follow at the special meeting and per town rules.