LAKELAND, Fla. — On Oct. 18, an EF-2 tornado ripped across Kathleen and areas of Polk County and right into the Mt. Tabor Baptist Church.
Two months later, the church’s front porch is still considered unsafe, the roof is in need of replacement and the church’s food bank is being run out of a shipping container after their entire ministry center was destroyed.
As the church works to get back on its feet, they requested county commissioners waive $3,700 in building and permitting fees to help rebuild.
“I’m trying to stretch every dime as far as I can,” Mt. Tabor’s Pastor Matt Gilmore said. He thought the waiver was likely to be approved considering the county manager didn’t think it would be a problem.
But Tuesday night, commissions denied the request after the county attorney advised them to consider their actions carefully.
“The fact they dismissed it so quickly-- it was like they gave it no thought,” said Gilmore who was shocked, especially considering the church has served as a longtime county polling place, operates the food bank, hosts 4-H students and served as a staging area for the sheriff’s office after the tornado.
The county attorney told 10News commissioners felt for the church but made a policy decision not to waive the fees out of fairness to others.
“Don’t sit up there and tell me you feel sorry for me and then do nothing about it,” Pastor Gilmore said. “That to me is the ultimate slap in the face.”
Gilmore pointed out the county has waived fees for other organizations in the past and feels like the denial has something to do with the fact it came from a church.
“We’re going to get through it and here’s why, because God is bigger than any County Commissioner.”
And, while there’s still plenty of rebuilding left he is optimistic about the upcoming year vowing to continue serving the community for years to come.
“We’re going to be doing greater things in our community than ever before.”
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