The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced a date for the Tampa Florida Temple groundbreaking.
The event will take place Aug. 23. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside.
It was previously announced that the temple will be a single-story building situated on a 12-acre lot at 9445 Camden Field Parkway in Riverview, Florida. It’s among five temples in the state of Florida in the various stages of planning, construction and operation.
The nearest temple to Tampa is in Orlando, which is about an hour and a half away and is currently closed for renovations. Currently operating temples are located in Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale, while a temple has been announced for Jacksonville.
According to a press release from the church, Latter-day Saints have been in Florida since 1897. Today, there are more than 176,000 members of the church there, comprising nearly 280 congregations.
“Those 17 temples will bless countless lives on both sides of the veil,” said President Russell M. Nelson when he announced the Tampa temple, along with 16 others, at the April 2022 general conference.