Central Florida Latter-day Saints

03/12/2026

This Church News story from 1992 discussed the "brighter day" which dawned in Florida as a result of the groundbreaking for the Orlando Florida temple. When Elder James E. Faust spoke at the ceremony, he said, "when the Savior comes to Florida, surely He will come to His house, that will be at this spot, so we rejoice in the wonderful and great privilege and blessing it is to participate in these exercises."

President Van Porter, who remarked about the 10-year process to find, purchase, and gain approval for the temple, said, "[o]n several occasions, I found it was impossible to move forward without the Lord's intervention...I came to realize that He does not want this to move forward without His intervention. This is His will...we cannot ignore the wonderful sacrifice and faith of so many for so many years that has led to this wonderful gift."

Elder Banks said, "what a beautiful morning we gather here, and certainly what a dawning of a brighter day in this part of the Lord's vinyard where the Saints can come and receive their endowments that will allow them to one day return to our Father in Heaven's presence."

What a beautiful blessing the Orlando Florida Temple has been for thousands of people who have made covenants, received endowments, and been sealed together with their families for eternity. A brighter day truly has dawned, and we look forward with great anticipation to the temple's reopening!

03/10/2026

Listen to Sister Huang's beautiful testimony about the temple.

03/07/2026

Many members of the Church in Florida made great personal sacrifices of their time and talents to facilitate the building approval process for the Orlando Florida Temple, a process which took ten years of diligent hard work, fasting, and prayer. One such member was Orlando Florida Stake President Van Porter Jr. Donald Carson said, “All who are familiar with the process of Temple site acquisition and regulatory approvals know that [President Porter’s] diligence, sincerity and perseverance carried the day in the face of determined opposition.”

President Porter passed away at the age of 43 of cancer before the dedication of the Orlando Florida Temple which he had sacrificed so much to facilitate approval for. But his sacrifices were a great blessing to many.

President Porter’s wife, Janine, reminisced, “Van lived by faith. He fasted continuously for the Orlando Temple as we went through the process of acquiring the land, getting it zoned, and preparing for the ground breaking. Most Sunday evenings were spent on our knees in his Stake office with his counselors and their wives praying for the Temple. Shortly after his work was done, he was allowed to return to the Father he loved most and served. When he was most ill, he told everyone who asked how he was, that he was ‘Never Better,’ and he was.”

Kim Porter said, “He had endless energy and enthusiasm for Church work, even during that time that he endured tremendous pain from cancer. I can honestly say that he never stopped seeking after the blessings that he believed came from living the gospel of Jesus Christ and the effort required to obtain them.”

President Porter’s father remembered, “I remember my last visit before he died…He told me of his experience in helping bring about the zoning approval for the Orlando Temple. He felt this to be one of his most important accomplishments in life, bringing a temple to Florida. He had promised the Lord anything he would require of him, even his own life if they could secure the right to build the temple…He told me that he felt his work in Florida was done.”

At the dedication of the temple, President Hinckley (who was then a counselor in the First Presidency) spoke in the celestial room regarding President Porter’s significant contribution to the building of the Orlando Florida Temple.

02/27/2026

The Orlando Florida Temple groundbreaking was held on June 20, 1992. James E. Faust of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony. Here are some photos from that special day.

02/25/2026

Through temples, families can be together forever. Temples are the only place on earth where families can be united for eternity. President Dallin H. Oaks taught, “We can truly say that the gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families.”

02/24/2026

The Primary children of the Citrus Ridge Stake had an activity to learn about family history and temple work.

02/21/2026

02/14/2026

In Temples, sweethearts and families can be sealed together for all eternity. “The noblest yearning of the human heart is for a marriage that can endure beyond death. Fidelity to a temple marriage does that. It allows families to be together forever." -President Russell M. Nelson

02/11/2026

For updates regarding the progress of renovations underway for the Orlando Florida Temple, the upcoming public Temple open house, and content focused on the Temple, be sure to like and follow the new Orlando Florida Temple page: https://www.facebook.com/share/17r7NRtxht/?mibextid=wwXIfr

02/08/2026

Be sure to tune in on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 1pm ET for a special devotional with President Dallin H. Oaks. This will be President first devotional since he was sustained as President of the Church of Jesus Christ on October 14, 2025.

His message will be streamed live on BYUtv.org, broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-dallin-h-oaks-to-deliver-a-message-on-february-10?fbclid=IwY2xjawP05_BleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEwTmZsbzh0YUtwejFlczNQc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHusRvHFr21zNVSp_0qQVgsp0Hhcz3P8ag7b86KbQ6AVLTusy_8dJoC_1U2iq_aem_x7LA9n2x-BuGaM5XlFHKrg

Church President Dallin H. Oaks will speak on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 11 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time, from the Marriott Center on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

02/04/2026

This week, members of the St Cloud Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivered over 200 donated blankets to A Place for Grace for distribution to cold-weather shelters across Osceola County. These blankets were made possible through a donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are grateful for all the good that A Place for Grace and other nonprofit organizations are doing to help our unsheltered brothers and sisters. To find ways you can help by volunteering with nonprofit organizations near you, check JustServe.org.