9/11 Patriots Day Services In The Tampa Bay Area

TAMPA BAY, FL — Sometimes called Patriots Day, Sept. 11 has become a national day of remembrance honoring the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In the Tampa Bay area, remembrance services and community events will take place throughout the region.

Americans felt a collective trauma as first one and then another plane flew into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. As the truth dawned on people watching from their TVs that America was under attack, another plane took aim at the Pentagon. A fourth was brought down in a field in Pennsylvania in a final act of heroism by passengers who realized their flight had been hijacked.

At least 2,973 people lost their lives in the attacks. The somber anniversary is marked across the country with memorial services, moments of silence and community events.

Local events include:

9/11 Memorial Lights

When: Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 to 10 p.m.

Where: Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, 1750 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor

Giant twin beams will shine more than 1,000 feet in the sky each evening in likeness to the two beams of light that shined in New York City following 9/11. The lights will be on display rain or shine.

Madeira Beach 9/11 Day of Remembrance

When: Wednesday, 8:45 a.m.

Where: 250 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach

This remembrance is hosted by the Madeira Beach Fire Department.

9/11 Memorial and Fundraiser

When: Wednesday, 8:46 a.m.

Where: 5 Branches Brewing, Tarpon Springs

Following a moment of silence, American Legion Post 46 will host a flag ceremony. Proceeds will benefit the Firefighter Charities of Pinellas.

4th Annual Rowdies 9/11 Stair Climb

When: Wednesday, 9 a.m.

Where: Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg

This annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb is held in memory of the first responders and members of the military who made the ultimate sacrifice in the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Every year, thousands of first responders around the country participate in 9/11 Stair Climbs, climbing 110 stories or walking 2,200 steps, the equivalent height of the former World Trade Center towers. The climb will be followed by a cookout and all participants also will receive a complimentary ticket to the Rowdies home match versus Pittsburgh on Saturday.

9/11 Memorial Service

When: Wednesday, 10 a.m.

Where: Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, 1750 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor

The keynote speaker will be Dan Nigro, the retired FDNY chief who oversaw all rescue and recovery for the World Trade Center site following the attacks. He went on to become New York City fire commissioner. The program also includes Honor Guards, U.S. Coast Guard and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office helicopter fly-overs, and Thunder the Eagle from Tampa Bay Rapter Rescue.

Hillsborough County 9/11 Day of Remembrance

When: Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.

Where: Veterans Memorial Park & Museum, 3602 U.S. Highway 301 N., Tampa

The public is invited to attend this event featuring Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Chief Jason Dougherty, Temple Terrace Fire Chief Ian Kemp, and Plant City Fire Rescue Chief Jeremy Sidlauskas, the Urban Search and Rescue team, the U.S. Coast Guard St. Petersburg Station, the U.S. Marine Corps 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, and a solemn escort of the beam: a solid 135-pound section of steel salvaged from New York’s Twin Towers that resides at Veterans Memorial Park, representing the supreme sacrifices on 9/11.

On the 23rd anniversary of the attacks, Florida remembers and mourns:

• Johnnie Doctor Jr., Jacksonville, Pentagon
• Tim Grazioso, Gulf Stream, World Trade Center
• CeeCee Lyles, Fort Myers, Flight 93
• Stephen Philip Morris, Ormond Beach, World Trade Center