St. Cloud City Council approved a fourth budget amendment for this fiscal year, allocating $3,230,900 in additional funds for various City projects. The funds come from prior-year savings, state and federal grants, and higher-than-expected fees from new development.
Key allocations include public safety, infrastructure, and growth initiatives, with $146,640 from state and federal grants and City reserves for police equipment, patrol bikes, and an administrative assistant, and $122,046 from the 1% surcharge fund will buy two drone pods for police use. Sanitation impact fees totaling $291,975 will fund trash and recycle carts for newly annexed areas. And $1,556,845 from fire impact fees and surcharge contingency will help build Fire Station 32, a new station on Old Canoe Creek Road.
That new station will feature four apparatus bays, accommodate up to 13 personnel, and support future growth. The existing logistics building will be repurposed as a physical fitness facility for firefighters and other city employees.
A resolution allowing for professional services on the planned new Public Safety Complex, which will be built on Canoe Creek Road, was also approved. Phase One of the project will include a new 9-1-1 communications center and a new Emergency Operations Center.
“We're at capacity,” Police Chief Douglas Goerke said. “And I'll tell you, as a growing city we want to make sure we have the correct infrastructure in place to ensure that we continue to stay the safest city in the state of Florida.”
In other action, the Council voted 4-1 to annex 1,378 acres south of Kissimmee Park Road, called Edgewater West, into the city. They also passed two ordinances: one setting a mixed-use land use designation for the property, pending state review, and another rezoning it from county to city mixed-use zoning. While the plan’s initial focus is on 3,600 residential units, Council members emphasized the need for commercial spaces to create local jobs. Mayor Chris Robertson stressed the need for employment centers, saying, “We need jobs around here, and if we don’t set aside land for that, they’ll never come here.” The city has already approved site plans for eight phases of Edgewater West.
Another 4-1 vote approved two ordinances for the Eastside Park Planned Unit Development, a 17-acre residential project north of 10th Street and south of Lake Runnymede. The development will feature 94 duplex-style, single-family homes.
The project offers a density of 6.5 units per acre, lower than the maximum allowed, and includes a quarter-mile walking trail, dog park, pickleball court, pocket parks, and 4.72 acres of open space. The development will also feature 434 parking spaces and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks connecting to downtown St. Cloud.
Council Member Gilbert voted against the approval, citing potential traffic congestion on the two-lane 10th Street. A traffic study during the site development phase will determine if turn lanes are needed.
Council also approved two ordinances to re-designate a 1.15-acre parcel on McKay Street from commercial to medium density residential and rezone it from Neighborhood Business to Multi-Family Dwelling. The parcel was annexed into the city in 2014 with a conflicting commercial zoning despite its county low-density residential designation.
City staff and the Planning Commission recommended denial, citing incompatibility with adjacent commercial areas and adverse effects on the Comprehensive Plan. However, applicant Jeremy Kibler of KDA Engineering argued the commercial designation violated the City’s plan, as McKay Street is a minor road unsuitable for high-traffic commercial use. Kibler emphasized the change would align with surrounding medium density residential areas and support infill development. After debate, the council voted 3-2 to approve both ordinances, with Council Members Urban, Paul, and Mayor Robertson in favor.
