In The News — St. Cloud PD earns grant, new hospital department, downtown real estate moves

St. Cloud Police Department awarded $750K, to hire 6 new cops

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a grant award of $750,000 to the St. Cloud Police Department, which it will use to hire six additional officers this fiscal year.

The City reported this week it applied for the funds, awarded through the DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program, earlier this year. The money will pay for 75% of the base salary and benefits for the new officers for three years, with the City of St. Cloud funding the remainder.

“Securing Department of Justice COPS grant funding is a significant win for our community,” SCPD Police Chief Douglas Goerke said. “These vital resources will enable us to enhance our law enforcement capabilities, bolster community policing initiatives, and foster a safer environment for all residents of St. Cloud.”

City officials said the officers will specifically support the department’s Community Engagement Unit. Residents will find them typically dressed in more informal uniforms, such as shorts and polo shirts, at city events, or on bike patrols along the lakefront.

The city’s tremendous growth has its leadership working to ensure funding for public safety keeps pace with that growth, which include the City’s public safety training facility, and a proposed new public safety administration complex.

“A professional and trusted police force is the bedrock of a safe and secure community,” said Mayor Nathan Blackwell. “By investing in more police officers, we are truly investing in the safety of our residents and the future of our city.”

To reach the St. Cloud Police Department’s city recruiting page, go to https://www.stcloudfl.gov/1957/Police-Officer

St. Cloud Hospital opens new Transportation Department

Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital’s new Transportation Department began operating this month, offering a new level of efficiency and patientcentered care. In the Phase 1 rollout, team members in the department are providing transportation via wheelchair, bed or stretcher to patients who have been admitted from the emergency department to their assigned hospital room. Additionally, transport services extend to inpatients for diagnostic services including CT, MRI, stress tests, nuclear medicine testing, x-ray and ultrasound.

“This initiative is designed to optimize operational efficiency, diminish wait times, and improve a patient’s overall experience,” said Sheila Bakker BHS, RRT, manager of respiratory care at Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital, who led the effort to create this service line. “By bringing transportation services to Orlando Health St. Cloud, we aim to help nursing staff remain in their units so they can focus on their primary responsibility — patient care. This approach ensures that patients have a seamless admission process and undergo any diagnostic testing promptly, contributing to an enhanced healthcare experience during their hospital stay.”

Downtown Kissimmee real estate sold, being developed

Three stories of retail, office and/or multi-family space are planned for a downtown Kissimmee plot between Kissimmee City Hall and the lakefront.

Located at 307 Broadway, the property was formerly a long-established automotive body shop that, once demolished, became zoned for minimal setbacks and no parking requirements and includes 150 feet of frontage on Broadway.

Hold Thyssen, Inc. announced it completed the $860,000 sale of the half-acre infill site in Kissimmee’s downtown core. The buyer, Americorp Investment, LLC, is a local developer of “many successful projects” in Osceola and Orange counties,” Hold-Thyssen said, noting the developer’s plans include retail space on the ground level, and an office tenant to take a full floor above has already been confirmed.

“This is a rare infill parcel in Kissimmee’s historic downtown which was platted in 1885. I’m excited to see what this accomplished developer brings out of the ground here,” Martin Forster a broker associate with Hold-Thyssen, said.

This would be the second parcel in a two-block stretch of Broadway parcels to be developed. Just over a block to the north and east, work has already started on Violet’s Garage, which will feature indoor and outdoor gathering space for arts and other community events.