County Commission District 4
The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative and policy-setting body for Palm Beach County government. Seven commissioners are elected, in staggered years, from single-member districts to represent the entire county. A commissioner is limited to two consecutive terms, each term lasting four years. The commission itself elects the county mayor to preside over its meetings and serve as ceremonial head of county government, as well as a vice mayor to fill in for the mayor. Commission meetings and workshops are held on Tuesdays; all are open to the public. The FY 2025-26 salary for a County Commissioner is $127,320.
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Curtis Calabrese
(Dem)
What professional experience, education and community engagement qualify you for this position, which involves legislating and policy-setting, authorizing programs and spending county funds?
Are there policy areas you plan to focus on if elected and, if so, what are your proposals to address them, including funding?
If voters adopt the proposed constitutional amendment to reduce property taxes, what is your strategy for balancing future County budgets, including service adjustments, revenue sources and fiscal management strategies?
What is the most significant challenge facing residents of your District that can be addressed at the County level? What policy or funding mechanism do you propose?
Education
Doctor of Philosophy — The University of New South Wales | Master of Science — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Bachelor of Science — The United States Naval Academy
Experience
Navy Combat Pilot, Professor, Airline Captain, Former FAA Aircraft Accident Investigator
Instagram
www.instagram.com/curtis.calabrese/
Campaign Phone
561-552-1483
I was born and raised in Palm Beach County and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. I am a former U.S Navy Pilot, and am currently an airline captain, professor, and operations executive, I bring proven and tested leadership . My career has centered on safety, accountability, budgets, compliance, and leading complex organizations. I am running to bring disciplined, resident-focused leadership to county government.
I will focus on:
(1) Affordability & Taxes
(2) Overdevelopment
(3) Traffic
I support using county-owned land for workforce housing for teachers and first responders through public-private partnerships. I will push advanced traffic coordination, faster permitting, a growth-pays-for-growth impact-fee review, stronger infrastructure concurrency, and zero-based budget reviews to protect core services while holding the line on taxes.
I will use priority-based budgeting: fund public safety, emergency services, infrastructure and legal obligations first, then require every department to justify spending from zero. I would freeze nonessential expansion, consolidate duplicative programs, pursue grants and public-private partnerships, and protect reserves. New fees or revenue should be a last resort, transparent and tied to specific services.
The most significant challenge is affordability. Residents are being squeezed by housing costs, insurance, taxes and traffic caused by growth that has outpaced infrastructure. I support using county-owned land for workforce housing, especially for teachers and first responders, through public-private partnerships and long-term leases rather than land sales. I would also require growth to pay for itself through impact fees, infrastructure concurrency and targeted use of housing trust funds.
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