{"id":410716,"date":"2026-09-25T21:50:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/410716\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T21:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:50:19","slug":"palma-ceia-methodist-church-restores-iconic-steeple-nearly-2-years-after-hurricane-milton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/410716\/","title":{"rendered":"Palma Ceia Methodist Church restores iconic steeple nearly 2 years after Hurricane Milton"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly 2 years after it was destroyed by Hurricane Milton, Palma Ceia Methodist Church installs a new steeple, as it also celebrates 80 years.<\/p>\n

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Nearly two years after Hurricane Milton ripped through the Tampa Bay area, a recognizable piece of South Tampa\u2019s history is back in its rightful place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, September 23, crews hoisted a brand-new cupola and steeple atop the bell tower at Palma Ceia Methodist Church on Bay to Bay Boulevard. The installation marks a major milestone for the historic congregation following the destructive Oct. 2024 storm. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n


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\n 10 Tampa Bay News at 12:00 pm
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The original steeple, constructed in 1953, stood above the sanctuary for 71 years before strong winds knocked it down onto the church lawn. \u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s amazing that the steeple landed on the lawn the way it did and didn’t crash through the sanctuary roof,” Senior Pastor Bruce Toms said. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Associate Pastor Justin Morrisroe echoed that sentiment, noting how fortunate the church was to avoid structural damage inside the sanctuary. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We have spent two years in a project trying to get our steeple restored, redesigned, re-engineered, and made sure that it was structurally sound,” Morrisroe said. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because the original 1950s hand-crafted wooden louvers and cast-iron cross could no longer be duplicated, the project required custom fabrication to replicate the historic design as closely as possible. Manufactured by Campbellsville Industries in Kentucky, the new structure was designed to mirror the original aesthetic while meeting modern wind standards. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Church leaders revealed that wind insurance in Florida was cost-prohibitive, meaning the structure was uninsured. However, a generous initial gift from the Borrell Family Foundation, combined with rapid donations from members of the congregation, fully funded the project. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“For the past two years, we’ve looked up and felt like something was missing. Seeing the steeple back where it belongs will be a special milestone for our congregation,” Pastor Toms said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The project comes as Palma Ceia Methodist Church celebrates its 80th anniversary in South Tampa. Beyond restoring an architectural landmark, leaders hope the return of the steeple serves as an encouraging sign for neighbors who are still navigating storm recovery. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Hurricane repairs are still ongoing, even for some of our congregants,” Morrisroe said. “We are evidence that it does get finished. And something good can come out of something that’s not so great.” \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crews are also finishing repairs to the church’s iconic Spanish tile roof, fully completing the exterior restoration. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nearly 2 years after it was destroyed by Hurricane Milton, Palma Ceia Methodist Church installs a new steeple,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410717,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-410716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}