Elder Neil L. Andersen, longtime Tampa resident, dedicates the house of the Lord

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with government, interfaith, and community leaders, gathered on Saturday, August 23, 2025, for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tampa Florida Temple. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at the event and Elder Brook P. Hales, General Authority Seventy, conducted. The Apostle and longtime Tampa resident offered a dedicatory prayer over the land and all who will be influenced by it.

“We ask that Thou might bless this land and this sacred house once constructed, that it might be a light and strength to the Latter-day Saints and to all the community,” Elder Andersen prayed. “Let our friends and neighbors feel Thy Spirit and increase their faith in Thy Son as they sense what has come to this place.”

The Andersen’s have deep roots in the Tampa area. Elder Andersen’s wife, Kathy, was born and raised in Florida, much of it in Hillsborough County. They lived in the Tampa area from 1977 to 1993 raising their family, until church service moved them elsewhere.

Sister Andersen reflected on the growth of the church in the Tampa area since she was a young girl where she was taught about Jesus Christ. “I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love to listen to His words. ‘Come follow me,’ he said.”

500 members and friends gathered at the 12-acre site at 9445 Camden Field Parkway in Riverview. Among the honored guests were Florida State Representative Michele Rayner, Reverend Dr. Glenn Dames of African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, leaders from Metropolitan Ministries, and other notable community and nonprofit organizations.

“The temple is going to touch the lives of tens of thousands of people. I understand the importance of the temple in the community. I do feel very blessed, because we all bring our blessings to this temple,” remarked Patrick Davis, Associate Director of Development at Metropolitan Ministries.

Florida is currently home to more than 176,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 280 congregations. The first congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ was created in 1897. The Tampa Florida Temple will serve more than 27,000 members in and around the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast.

Local members Ikwo & Dinah Ibiam explained, “Having a temple in this area sends a message that this is a place where people are striving to be good, and serves as a reminder to everyone to live better lives.”

President Russell M. Nelson announced the Tampa Florida Temple during the April 2022 general conference.

He said then, “Positive spiritual momentum increases as we worship in the temple and grow in our understanding of the magnificent breadth and depth of the blessings we receive there.”

Other temples announced, under construction or in operation in Florida are the Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tallahassee Temples.

Latter-day Saints consider each temple a house of the Lord and the most sacred place of worship on earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies, such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.

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SOURCE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints