County honors McCloud, Black History Month

As part of its annual celebration of Black History Month, Osceola County awarded Housing and Community Services Director Celestia McCloud the 2024 Lieutenant Lloyd Burton, Jr. Service Award at its Monday County Commission meeting.

“When you go above and beyond serving your community, providing assistance for our residents, and I know the heart Celestia has to find out what needs to be done, those are the things you see in a truly deserving leader,” Commissioner Viviana Janer said.

McCloud has served with Osceola County since 2010.

“How great it is to work for an organization that is so supportive of the things you do. I am humbled,” she said. “Thank you for your vision that creates opportunities to serve. To Housing and Community Service, you exhibit empathy and compassion for the people we serve, and I am honored to lead and direct your work on a daily basis.

“I always remember something my mother told me that is helpful as a service provider. She always said, ‘Do as much as you can, for as many people as you can, for as long as you can.’ And that’s what I’ve tried to do – and what I instill in my staff to do as well.” McCloud spoke of how, after three years of working with so many residents in the wake of the pandemic, and “compassion fatigue” setting in, a call from County Chief of Staff Beth Knight about the Burton award helped her find perspective.

“After I processed that, I knew I’m doing what I’m supposed to do,” she said. “There is one thing for certain, and two things for sure, that service to service to others is a blessing to you.”

The award is named for Lloyd Burton, Jr., the first Black deputy to serve in the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office when he was hired in December 1966. Before he passed away, Burton founded the Black Benevolence Association, which offered aid and protection to its members and to their dependents.

County Commissioners, under the leadership of Commissioner Janer, created the Lt. Lloyd Burton, Jr. Service Award in 2016 as a way to celebrate Black History Month in the county.

Past award recipients include Burton and community mainstays such as Anna Pinellas, Belinda Johnson-Cornett, Deloris McMillon and Dr. R. LeWayne Johnson.

The County also presented a proclamation for Black History. Dr. Amanda Wilkerson, Florida’s resident of the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), called it, “The honored tradition of acknowledging the contributions of African Americans here in Osceola County. I count it as a blessing to accept this proclamation.”

The City of Kissimmee also held a Black History Month reception and proclamations Tuesday night after the deadline for this issue.