Tallahassee Florida Temple
On 5 April 2020, during the closing session of the 190th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced that a new temple would be built in Tallahassee, Florida. The Tallahassee Florida Temple will be the third temple in the state of Florida for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The other two temples are the Orlando Florida Temple (1994) and the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple (2014). President Nelson announced the construction of a fourth temple, the Tampa Florida Temple, on April 3, 2022, and a fifth temple, the Jacksonville Florida Temple on October 2, 2022.
The location announcement and exterior rendering release were made on Newsroom on Wednesday, 13 January 2021. The temple will be built on a 4.97-acre site located at 2440 Papillon Way in Tallahassee, Florida, the largest city in the Florida Panhandle and the state’s capital. It will stand across from an existing meetinghouse on Thomasville Road. It will be located on a major highway on the north side of Tallahassee, providing good access to members living throughout the region. The project will also include the construction of a distribution center where Church products and materials are sold. The rendering depicts a temple projected to be approximately 29,000 square feet, with a center spire. It is estimated to be completed in early 2024 and scheduled for dedication soon after.
Florida is home to more than 172,000 members in 32 stakes, 274 congregations and four missions.[1] Tallahassee currently is in the Orlando temple district, with that temple some 260 miles away.
On the day of the announcement, Tallahassee native Shannon Havlicak Grondel recalled that the four-hour drive to the Orlando Florida Temple was a defining element of her childhood. she said, "While such a trek is minuscule in comparison to those of Saints around that world whose journey can only be made by boat, plane, or countless hours by train — it was nonetheless an obstacle to more regular temple attendance."
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Groundbreaking Ceremony Is Held for the Tallahassee Florida Temple
On Saturday, 5 June 2021, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Tallahassee Florida Temple. Elder James B. Martino, then a General Authority Seventy and North America Southeast Area President, presided at the event and was assisted by Elder Victor P. Patrick, an Area Seventy.
Elder Martino said, "This temple will bless the entire land around it and the entire community. It will be a beacon of holiness and a place of peace for all to both see and feel. Here we will seek to draw closer to God, to hear His voice, and seek to follow His teachings."
In his opening remarks, Elder Martino underscored the significance of the word "groundbreaking." He said, "Groundbreaking was considered a representation of breaking the earth, to make a sacred deposit that would endorse a firm foundation. How appropriate of a description. Truly, this is the symbolic act to begin a foundation for a most sacred building."
Similar to other groundbreakings announced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was an invitation-only event adhering to local government social-distancing guidelines. Joining the onlookers at the groundbreaking ceremony were local civic and community leaders.
As an alternative way to participate, members and friends of the Church were able to view the groundbreaking ceremony via live stream.
Open House and Dedication Announced
A public open house will run from Monday, November 4, through Saturday, November 23, excluding Sundays. On Monday, October 28, 2024, media members attended a news conference and toured the new house of the Lord. Those participating in the event included Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elders Kevin R. Duncan, Steven R. Bangerter, Ahmad S. Corbitt, and Massimo De Feo of the Seventy; as well as several local leaders.
The Tallahassee Florida Temple is located about 50 miles northwest of where Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, on Thursday, September 26, 2024. The temple was unharmed, and the public open house will begin as announced.
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the temple in one session on Sunday, December 8, 2024. The dedicatory session will be held at 9 a.m. EST and will be broadcast to all units of the Tallahassee Florida Temple district. When dedicated, this house of the Lord will be the 202nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[2]
