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Excitement is building in Mandarin, Jacksonville, as a significant milestone approaches for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mark your calendars for January 24, 2026, when a groundbreaking ceremony is set to take place, marking the commencement of construction for the Jacksonville Florida Temple.
Located at 3323 Loretto Road, this forthcoming temple will span 29,000 square feet. Its inception was initially announced back in October 2022, alongside plans for 17 other temples across the globe, from Mexico to Korea. These announcements came from President and Prophet Russell M. Nelson, who emphasized a strategic push to make temples more accessible worldwide.
“Let us never lose sight of what the Lord is doing for us now,” President Nelson expressed during the announcement. “He is making His temples more accessible. He is accelerating the pace at which we are building temples. He is increasing our ability to help gather Israel. He is also making it easier for each of us to become spiritually refined.”
The Jacksonville temple project signifies a broader effort by the Church to expand its reach and enhance the spiritual resources available to its members. The upcoming ceremony in January 2026 will not only be a pivotal moment for Jacksonville’s Latter-day Saints community but also part of a larger global initiative to bring the Church’s presence closer to its followers.
“Let us never lose sight of what the Lord is doing for us now,” he said at the time. “He is making His temples more accessible. He is accelerating the pace at which we are building temples. He is increasing our ability to help gather Israel. He is also making it easier for each of us to become spiritually refined.”
Elder Massimo De Feo, First Counselor in the United States Southeast Area Presidency, is scheduled to preside at the ceremony over an invite-only crowd.
Once built, Florida will have five temples:
- Tallahassee
- Fort Lauderdale
- Orlando (under renovation)
- Tampa (under construction)
- Jacksonville (to be constructed)
According to a Church spokesperson, the state is home to nearly 180,000 Latter-Day Saints in around 280 congregations. Many of them gather at local Church meetinghouses for everyday worship open to all, but the temples differ in purpose. They are used for sacred ceremonies, such as marriages, and entry is more restricted.
