Adventure Community Church appealed to the Duval City Council for financial relief as it rebuilds a historic church that burned in March 2020. Jeff Hansen, lead pastor at Adventure Community Church, urged council to place two requests on an upcoming agenda: waive an almost $4,000 building permit extension fee and reconsider or assist with what the church says is a $137,000 undergrounding estimate.

Hansen said the congregation has continued community services since the fire but that city‑required public upgrades and unforeseen costs "skyrocketed" site and public improvement expenses to about $1,000,000. He described a delay in construction that resulted from insurance and arbitration work and said that the congregation is six months into a reconstruction now on schedule to be completed in 2025.

"We respectfully request that the city council limit this financial burden by waiving the permit extension fee," Hansen told council. He also requested that the council "reconsider the undergrounding requirement for ACC's small segment of frontage or approve financial assistance to cover the $137,000." Hansen said the church believes the short segment provides minimal public benefit because most utilities along the same street remain overhead.

A church member who identified himself as Kirk Rackerbush added an in‑room plea for mercy, saying the congregation's small membership means the cost would be personally burdensome.

Why it matters: Council action on either request would affect city revenue, precedent for future permit relief requests, and the timeline and finances for a downtown rebuild that the church says supports local social programs, including a weekly gleaning program and community meetings.

What council heard and next steps
Clerk and staff indicated the church's written memo would be included in the clerk's report for the next council packet; council members discussed procedure for public submissions. The church requested the items be placed on the next council meeting agenda for formal consideration. No formal council vote or staff commitment to the relief requests occurred during the meeting.

Ending: The church asked for timely direction, noting construction is underway and that prompt council guidance is needed to inform fundraising and project completion plans.