OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Cloud city council voted 4-1 on Wednesday in favor of providing and paying for 10 additional parks and recreation staff members to work the Proud in the Cloud event on Saturday.
The event aims to support the LGBTQ community and create safe and empowering spaces for everyone to express their true selves, according to the organization’s website.
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Mayor Chris Robertson made the motion to increase staffing due to the expected attendance being higher than anticipated, the city said. St. Cloud originally had planned to have eight parks and recreation staff members plus six police officers and a fire/EMS crew.
The city expects 2,000 to 4,000 people to attend the event, officials said.
The motion was to also ensure the event ran smoothly, Robertson said, contradicting rumors online that the city was planning to cancel it.
“The whole point is I want to ensure there’s safety and security out there,” Robertson said. “We need more staff out there. We have to protect this asset, and it’s not just this group. I do not feel this asset is protected.”
Robertson said the city will pay for the additional staffing costs rather than pass it on to the event organizers.
“I hope you have a safe and enjoyable time out there,” Robertson said after the vote. “That was the purpose of having this on the agenda.”
Proud in the Cloud will be held Saturday from 2-7 p.m. at The Ranch at St. Cloud, located at 5452 Jones Road.