Steven H. Kurlander was born and raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York State.  He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Buffalo Law School.  

After being admitted to the New York State Bar, Kurlander practiced law in Monticello, N.Y., and twice was elected a Sullivan County Legislator.  He also worked there as a correspondent, photographer and columnist for local daily and weekly newspapers. Kurlander founded and published a free weekly community newspaper, The Independent Weekly Review in the Hudson Valley in the 1990s.  

Kurlander moved to South Florida in 2000 and has worked in the technology and real estate sectors. He was Victory Field Director for the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008 in Palm Beach County, and was recognized as a top grassroots organizer.  

Today, Kurlander is a regular columnist with the Sun-Sentinel and is a communications strategist consultant to politicians and small businesses.  He also publishes a blog, called Kurly's Kommentary, and he is the author of a novel, Dog Days of September.

Kurlander lives with his wife, Jodi, and daughter, Hannah, in Lake Worth.  His son, Aaron, attends the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in New York City.