Tragedy struck in the early hours of February 18, 1982 when an arsonist set fire to the building. A total of 11,666 books and 1,010 recordings were lost in the blaze. The citizens of Temple Terrace and the Woman's Club once again made a difference and volunteered to help restore the library. In only six weeks, the library opened its doors at the Lightfoot Recreation Center while the damaged building was rebuilt. One year after the fire, on February 16, 1983, the newly refurbished building was dedicated.
In 1997, the library was renovated and enlarged to 20,000 square feet. It reopened in March 1998 with an online catalog and internet computers. Today, the beautiful Temple Terrace Public Library has extensive resources, with a selection of more than 100,000 volumes and 52 patron computers.