Exactly 13,893 votes earned Jennifer Paul a seat on the St. Cloud City Council. Paul is the first African-American to be elected Council Member in 113 years. A longtime resident of the St. Cloud area (specifically the Narcoossee Whitted Historic Community), Paul’s great grandfather came to Narcoossee in 1952.

Like many other black men of the time, her grandfather was a migrant worker, “chasing” work and would move every two years. Originally from Brewton, Alabama, the family moved to the Ft. Walton Beach area and finally settled in Narcoossee. Back in the 1950s, “St. Cloud was a sundown town. Black people could not go into certain neighborhoods in St. Cloud proper. They could only live in the Colored Quarter of St. Cloud. Most were redlined to Narcoossee,” Paul said.

As a Council Member, one of the first things Paul did was to sponsor a proclamation that denounced St. Cloud’s “Sundown Town” past reputation and affirmed St. Cloud’s acceptance of all residents. The NAACP (Osceola County Branch 5121) presented it to the City Council. “I did it to refresh the reputation of St. Cloud. I was concerned that people were saying their family would not come to St. Cloud because of its reputation. The proclamation helped to let the citizens know that we are not standing for that kind of hatred in today’s world,” Paul said.

Paul started as a community advocate. “A developer came in and wanted to put townhomes on the property behind our parent’s home. We know gentrification is real. It was becoming real to us.  My sister called me when she saw the issue on the agenda for the planning commission. We got the residents engaged. My sister and I attended every meeting. Eventually, the developer’s request was not approved,” she said. “If you can’t take care of home (where you come from), how can you be a leader elsewhere?”

Paul lost her father in May 2023 and wanted to find her purpose in life. She entered politics. “I was a grassroots candidate with zero dollars. I didn’t stand on my name to win the election. I did the work of what a candidate should do. Every day I went out campaigning and knocked on 100-150 doors,” Paul said.  She raised $10,000, one organization endorsed her, and she ran her campaign on the platform of family roots and her love for the St. Cloud community. History was made; on November 14, 2024, she was sworn in as a St. Cloud Council Member.

Paul said she is grateful for the opportunity to serve these next four years. “I want to encourage those fighting the good fight to continue being involved in their community. I also want young people to step up. We still have work to do. There is no community without unity. Let’s move forward,” she concluded.

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Paul serves on various community organizations including the Osceola History Board of Directors, chairperson of the NAACP Environmental & Climate Justice Committee of Osceola County, historian, and active member of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church of Narcoossee. In 2022, Paul was the recipient of the Woman Warrior Award presented by the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners. In 2023 she was named an “Everyday Hero” by Spectrum News 13. Additionally, she helps to coordinate local events for the Markus Paul Foundation.

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