{"id":235559,"date":"2026-04-17T12:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/235559\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T12:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:30:07","slug":"how-fort-lauderdale-mayors-relationship-ends-in-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/235559\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fort Lauderdale Mayor’s Relationship Ends in Tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

They first crossed paths at a fundraiser at a center for the LGBTQ<\/a> community in 2024.<\/p>\n

Soon, Dean Trantalis, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale<\/a>, and Daniel Curran<\/a>, a trained opera singer who had lately struggled to find work, were thrust into a whirlwind romance, traveling the globe together. The romance peaked with a proposal at the Eiffel Tower in July 2025.<\/p>\n

But just a few months later, Curran was arrested and accused of attacking the 72-year-old politician at his Fort Lauderdale home. The domestic violence incident garnered headlines and put a spotlight on the mayor\u2019s tumultuous relationship.<\/p>\n

Although the man everyone knew as Danny always appeared to be smiling and happy, he was struggling mentally, according to those close to him. Just as his domestic violence case seemed to be getting resolved, with hopes he would get treatment, Curran <\/a>jumped from the 12th floor of the Coral Ridge Towers complex on April 9. It was his 35th birthday.<\/p>\n

Interviews and records obtained by New Times reveal how their lives intersected in a way that would have a shocking and tragic ending \u2014 and offer a fuller picture of Curran.<\/p>\n

\u201cDanny was a fun, happy-go-lucky, adventurous individual who loved life, who was patient, endeared himself to so many,\u201d Trantalis tells New Times in his first interview since Curran\u2019s death. \u201cHe loved to line dance and two-step. He had many friends, but that\u2019s when Danny was of a right mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Talented Vocalist With Personal Struggles<\/p>\n

Curran was born in Mineola, New York, according to public records. Trantalis describes him as having a difficult childhood; he says Curran told him his father died by suicide when Curran was 8 years old. The mayor and David Geerders, an ex-boyfriend who knew Curran for 14 years, say Curran did not seem to be close with his mother or two siblings. <\/p>\n

Trantalis says it may have been hard for the family to \u201cdeal with Danny\u2019s emotional outbursts\u201d and \u201cfully understand what Danny was going through.\u201d <\/p>\n

Attempts to reach them were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

Curran appears to have attended Kellenberg Memorial High School, a private, Catholic institution on Long Island, according to a LinkedIn profile that seems to match his background. He then attended Purchase College in the State University of New York system. School officials confirmed he graduated in 2013 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in music, majoring in vocal performance.<\/p>\n

He loved to perform, and particularly dance and sing, Geerders recounts. It was at one of his plays that the couple first met, days after Curran\u2019s 21st birthday. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was living in Philadelphia, but we had a lot of mutual friends on Facebook and I got to kind of chatting with him through there, and then he invited me up for a show,\u201d Geerders adds.<\/p>\n

They eventually started dating while Curran was living in New York and Geerders in Philadelphia. Geerders says Curran moved to Philadelphia to be with him, only for the two to later go their separate ways. Curran moved to Los Angeles, and Geerders moved to Wilton Manors. Public records show that Curran had minor debt problems in Los Angeles in 2019.<\/p>\n

However, the couple would reconnect when Curran moved to Wilton Manors in 2021. They briefly dated for three months until February 2022. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just going in two separate directions,\u201d Geerders tells New Times. \u201cBut we still talked to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three months into the relationship, Geerders learned Curran had been working as an escort, which ultimately led to their breakup. As far as Geerders knew at the time, Curran would do shows, serving, or busboy jobs. He says it may not have been a dealbreaker if he had been told at the start of the relationship. <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know that when he moved here, that\u2019s what he did,\u201d Geerders continues. \u201cHe didn\u2019t tell me about it, and when he did, he said, \u2018Oh, you know this.’\u201d<\/p>\n

A local gay publication<\/a> last week uncovered \u201cDonnyDiggs\u201d profiles on gay escort and massage sites like Rent.men and rentmassuer.com, with photos that appear to be of Curran and descriptions that match his characteristics. By late Thursday, some of the profiles were no longer live.<\/p>\n

Trantalis says he also learned of later in their relationship that Curran worked as an escort. He says he told him to stop, and Curran said he would, but by then they were no longer together. He believes that Curran was doing it \u201cmore out of desperation than out of desire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDanny had severe emotional problems, so he couldn\u2019t keep a job down, so what else could he do to survive? And he figured, \u2018Well, let me do this,’\u201d Trantalis adds. \u201cHe had an OnlyFans page, and he was making money that way because it was within his control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trantalis notes that Curran was also a devout Catholic who went to church every single morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was his second home,\u201d the mayor adds. \u201cHe loved going to church, and everybody loved him there, and no one judged him there.\u201d <\/p>\n

After meeting \u201csometime in 2024\u201d at a fundraiser, Curran moved in with Trantalis, who was 37 years his senior. The mayor calls Curran a \u201cperson of substance\u201d with a beautiful voice and heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were in the car, listening to the classical music station, an aria would come on, and he would sing right along with it,\u201d Trantalis remembers. \u201cKnowing the words. It was amazing, he was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Trantalis says there were points where a \u201cdark personality\u201d would take over, and he would transform into a different person. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe would be argumentative, violent. Never thought him to be self-destructive, but mental illness, mental disease, consumed him. It was very sad,\u201d Trantalis says. \u201cSometimes you would be watching him, and he would be smiling and happy, and then his face would change; it would contort. You can see he was fighting back, trying to fight back the feelings that were overcoming him.\u201d <\/p>\n

Still, Trantalis remembers what he describes as wonderful times spent traveling together in Europe. Photos from Curran\u2019s Facebook show the happy couple smiling at events, including Florida Panthers games, driving around in the car, or traveling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Dean, with all that I am,\u201d Curran posted on July 7, 2025, <\/a>along with a slideshow of photos and \u201cAll My Love\u201d by Coldplay. <\/p>\n

Later on July 22, Curran posted photos of the couple in Greece, including a photo showing himself proposing to the mayor. A day later, he posted a photo of Trantalis with the caption, \u201c#fiance.\u201d He says Curran proposed to him with a ring from Tiffany\u2019s at a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. After that, they traveled around Paris, visiting the Palace of Versailles, and Notre Dame Cathedral, before finishing the trip in Crete, where they danced on the docks, Trantalis recounts.<\/p>\n

Later, he wondered whether he was really ready for the proposal. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I even said, \u2018Look, let\u2019s work on this,’\u201d Trantalis says.<\/p>\n

\"DannyDaniel Curran proposed to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis in July 2025. <\/p>\n

It was on the flight home where Curran had another \u201cfallout,\u201d as Trantalis describes. He says he was not the same person and was running around the plane to the point that it upset the flight attendant. However, he says that he knew Curran would eventually calm down, which he did once they got home to South Florida. <\/p>\n

The mayor notes that he reached out to one of Curran\u2019s therapists, but he said he was ignored. He says it was almost as if Curran had multiple personalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just one of these very difficult moments in life that I just feel so helpless trying to figure out how I could have helped him, but nothing I could do was working, so I tried to show him love,\u201d Trantalis tells\u00a0New Times. \u201cI really do love him deeply. He was a fellow that brought emotions out of me that I thought had long since died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public Fallout<\/p>\n

By September, their relationship appeared to have taken a dark turn. <\/p>\n

Trantalis was granted a temporary protection order against Curran after he claimed that he threw objects at him, pulled a knife on him, demanded that he leave the house, and kicked furniture. Despite the order, Trantalis allowed Curran back home in hopes that he would seek counseling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt really bad for Danny, which is why I stuck it out with Danny,\u201d Trantalis says. \u201cThere was an opportunity here for me to try to help, but I did my best to be patient with him, but, you know, there were episodes where I couldn\u2019t; it was overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two months later, Curran was arrested on charges of violating an injunction for protection against domestic violence and battery on a person 65 years of age after he allegedly pushed the 72-year-old, grabbed his leg, pulled him down, and then dragged him \u201capproximately 15 feet\u201d across a road four days earlier. Fort Lauderdale Police Department officers had spotted him in the mayor\u2019s driveway prior to his arrest. This appeared to be Curran\u2019s first arrest.<\/p>\n

During Curran\u2019s first appearance, Trantalis said he thought he would be able to \u201csteer him into counseling and mental health treatment\u201d if they had reconnected. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I failed at that, and at the end, this past weekend, he threw me to the ground,\u201d he testified. \u201cHe committed everything that\u2019s in the information with regard to the violent act against me. And I realized that there was no hope for this relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the mayor requested that prosecutors drop the case, believing the active permanent injunction was sufficient to ensure his safety and that Curran would not engage in criminal activity in the future. Just a day before his death, the no-contact order barring Curran from seeing Trantalis was modified, and the couple discussed rekindling their relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we met in court last week, we had both expressed not just our love for each other but an opportunity to start all over again,\u201d Trantalis says. \u201cThe court was going to require him to go through serious therapy, and he was so happy about that because I was going to participate with him, and it was his birthday the next day, and we were going to go to a restaurant together. <\/p>\n

\u201cI actually bought him a beautiful gift for him, which I never told him about.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Sudden End<\/p>\n

After the hearing on April 8, the pair was allowed to meet in public and communicate via phone. So, they went to Stork\u2019s Bakery and Cafe in Wilton Manors and ate egg salad sandwiches, which neither could finish.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were hugging and just so happy to be back,\u201d Trantalis tells New Times. \u201cIt had been five months since we had seen each other, except for that one chance moment we ran into each other on New Year\u2019s Eve.\u201d<\/p>\n

They spent the rest of the evening at a bar on Wilton Drive for line-dancing night. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo he says, he said, \u2018Come on, I want to teach you, and I was dead tired, but I said, \u2018You know what, I need to do this,’\u201d the mayor says. \u201cSo it was tragic watching me do that, but we had so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trantalis says Curran was so happy that he sent him a photo of himself smiling when he got home. However, an hour later, he says, Curran sent another photo of himself with a contorted face and said that he couldn\u2019t sleep and was going to take Xanax to try to relax. Curran later said he couldn\u2019t be alone and was going to go to a friend\u2019s house, Trantalis recounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018Don\u2019t think there\u2019s any romantic connection. I just need to be somebody and I know I can\u2019t be with you,’\u201d Trantalis tells New Times. \u201cSo I thought nothing of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor woke up the next morning at around 8:30 a.m. and texted Curran, \u201cHappy birthday.\u201d Forty-five minutes later, Trantalis received a call that Curran had died. They had plans to celebrate his birthday together that night at Sea Watch on the Ocean, a restaurant that Curran had picked.<\/p>\n

The news stunned Curran\u2019s lawyer Philip Johnston.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were on a path to a resolution, which would have gotten Danny the treatment he needed and led to the charges being dismissed,\u201d he told New Times on April 9. <\/p>\n

Trantalis says Curran never expressed suicidal thoughts. Geerders notes that over the course of their relationship, Curran was depressed but never violent or angry. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was constantly depressed,\u201d Geerders tells New Times. \u201cHe didn\u2019t like where his life was ever. He didn\u2019t like where he was going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the news of Curran\u2019s death, several friends and the Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors communities memorialized him on Facebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply saddened to share the passing of Danny Curran, a member of our league community,\u201d the Rainbow Sports League, a LGBTQ sports league, posted on Facebook<\/a>. \u201cHe was part of our group, and this loss is being felt by many of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

There will be a memorial service on Saturday at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Fort Lauderdale, and the mayor says he will attend. Both Geerders and Trantalis say they want Curran to be remembered for the person he was, and for the side of him that made everyone smile and laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope people remember that part of him too,\u201d Geerders tells New Times. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They first crossed paths at a fundraiser at a center for the LGBTQ community in 2024. Soon, Dean…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250,2161,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-235559","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-lauderdale","8":"tag-fort-lauderdale","9":"tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","10":"tag-fort-lauderdale-news","11":"tag-government","12":"tag-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}