Fire, Police chiefs shared current and upcoming expansions at Tuesday gathering
The city of St. Cloud is growing by leaps, bounds and any other measure of jump—this is not breaking news.
But, for a change, the leaders who manage the safety response to its citizens, those life-long and the new ones, are optimistic rather than cautious about how police and fire/ rescue will ensure their well-being.
St. Cloud Fire Chief Jason Miller and Police Chief Doug Goerke spoke at a St. Cloud Main Street “Breakfast with the Pros” professional gathering Tuesday morning, and said while St. Cloud is nearing 68,000 residents, the departments are well-positioned at that size—and growing, of course.
“It’s not just optimism, it’s reality, because there’s not just a plan but actually items we’re setting forth,” said the long-tenured Miller who enters his fifth year in command of SCFD. “We’re selecting the construction manager to build our next three fire stations. This is more than light at the end of the tunnel to get everything accomplished.” As for facilities. Station 34 on Nora Tyson Road is operational, and stations 35 in Tohoqua and 36 on Center Lake are funded and planned. The city has acquired a former prep school at Nolte Road and Budinger Avenue, providing 23,000 square feet of space for a new department headquarters.
Once responders leave their stations, there’s new equipment. The department has acquired a 100-foot ladder truck Miller said will be operational later this year.
“We’re ahead of the curve, it usually takes three and a half years to get one,” Miller said. “For the first time in the department’s history, we are fully caught up with technology. The City Council has really invested in the safety of the city. They’ve made what we need a reality.”
Of 108 department positions, 106 are filled. Miller said SCFD is hiring fire trainees—again, for the first time—to meet Central Florida’s shortage of firefighters.”
St. Cloud police is at 219 members, and while there are currently four openings, seven current members are up for those four.
While calls for service dropped about 8% to 93,000 from 2023 to ’24, the number of arrests went from about 1,000 to 1,249, Goerke said. But, using the Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), now part of the Uniform Crime Reporting program that’s always been available to the public, crimes against persons in the city dropped 9%, and crimes against property dropped 20%.
The police department is working on splitting the city into two zones to allow specific officers to focus on specific areas, in 2025.
“Crime is being effectively handled. If you come here to commit crime and harm our citizens, we will bring you to justice,” he said. “If you are a narcotics trafficker, there is no place for you in St. Cloud.
Goerke, who has been in command in the Soldier City for three years now after coming from the Orlando Police Department, lauded the work SCPD’s Community Engagement division has done to literally partner with the community on doing the job.
“The community here is amazing, and the reputation we have is earned,” he said. “I’m proud of the men and women who wear our uniform. They know they have a duty to do no harm to our police family, the community, and the profession.”
