City Denies Permits for Duval Day; Organizers Vow to Relocate Beloved Event

By Our News Desk | June 20, 2025

The highly anticipated Duval Day block party, a cherished annual event in Jacksonville, Florida, is facing a significant hurdle as city officials have denied its permit for its traditional Myrtle Avenue location. Citing concerns over overcrowding, illegal parking, and a lack of critical security details, the City’s Office of Sports and Entertainment issued a formal denial.

Despite this setback, organizers, including comedian Lil Duval’s best friend Mr. Manns, are determined to ensure the event still happens, announcing a new location is actively being sought for July 12.

Why the Permit Was Denied: City's Stance

Mr. Manns confirmed receiving an email from the city outlining the reasons for the permit denial for hosting Duval Day on North Main Street. Key concerns raised included:

• Overcrowding: Over 2,000 people attended the July 2024 event, exceeding the capacity intended for a "Block Party" permit (500 attendees or fewer), which was never formally submitted in prior years despite the event's growth.
• Illegal Parking: Vehicles were illegally parked along state roads (King St and Beaver St) in 2024, causing severe traffic issues.
• Lack of Security & Planning: The submitted application lacked critical details such as a road closure plan, adequate security and police presence for traffic and crowd control, stage layout, vendor tent locations, food vendor details, and placement of portable restrooms.
• Business Disruptions: In 2024, nearby businesses like Family Dollar, Sunoco Gas Station, and Advance Auto Parts were forced to shut down due to excessive crowds entering, threatening employees, misusing facilities, and engaging in disruptive behavior, including theft and dancing inside freezer units.
• Late Application: The Special Event Permit Application was submitted on April 27, 2025 (76 days in advance), falling short of the required 90-day timeline for events of this scale.

Organizers' Resolve: The Show Will Go On!

Despite the city's decision, organizers are committed to keeping the spirit of Duval Day alive. "We’re victims of our own success, but everything they listed, we can fix. We just want to keep it here where it all started," Mr. Manns stated, emphasizing their willingness to address the concerns.

Comedian Nod “Lil Nut” Ross echoed the sentiment, highlighting the event's profound community impact. "It means a lot man, not just to me but to the whole community," Ross said. "We come out, have a good time... bringing everybody together. You get networking out here. You meet people, new people, people who are fans of you, who support you.”

The event, which started nearly 10 years ago as a simple idea by Lil Duval and Mr. Manns to give back to the community on the Fourth of July, has grown into a major annual tradition. "They bring their grills out, they cook they fry fish, they do everything on that day they really look forward to that day,” Mr. Manns added.

For now, the mission remains the same: giving back to the community that raised them, even if it means a new home for July 12.

Official City Communication:

Below is the full email sent by the Office of Sports and Entertainment to the event organizer, explaining the rationale behind the permit denial:

Good morning,

This email serves as a formal follow-up to our meeting on Thursday, May 29, 2025, regarding the Special Event Permit Application for Duval Day. As discussed, the event has experienced significant growth in recent years and has exceeded the capacity of its original space.

According to attendance data provided by JFRD, over 2,000 people attended Duval Day in July 2024. While the event has historically aligned with the format of a neighborhood Block Party, these applications are intended for gatherings of 500 attendees or fewer. No Block Party permit applications—either within or above the attendance threshold—were submitted for Duval Day in 2024 or prior years.

Due to the scale of anticipated attendance, the event organizer was required to submit a Special Event Permit Application at least 90 days prior to the event. However, the application was submitted on April 27, 2025—only 76 days in advance—falling short of the required timeline.

Unfortunately, the Special Event Permit Application is denied for the following reasons:

• The event is currently being advertised without receiving conditional approval.
• The proposed event space is insufficient for the expected number of attendees.
• There is inadequate parking available to accommodate attendees.
• The submitted site map lacks critical details, including:
  • Accurate road closure information
  • Security/police presence for traffic and crowd control
  • Stage placement
  • Vendor tent locations and food vendor details
  • Placement of portable restrooms
• In 2024, vehicles were parked illegally along state roads (King St and Beaver St), causing traffic issues and no formal traffic mitigation plan was submitted to JSO.
• JSO was required to shut down nearby businesses, including:
  • Family Dollar (1282 Kings Rd)
  • Sunoco Gas Station (1393 Kings Rd)
  • Advance Auto Parts (1315 Kings Rd)
  These closures were due to excessive crowds entering the businesses, threatening employees, misusing facilities, and engaging in disruptive behavior—including theft and dancing inside freezer units.

You will receive an official denial notification from the permitting system shortly following this email.

Thank you for your understanding.