Thousands of people gathered at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor on Friday, Sept. 11, to mark 25 years since the attacks.

Genelle Guzman-McMillan, the last survivor pulled from the World Trade Center rubble, delivered the keynote address. She was working on the 64th floor of the North Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, when the first plane struck. After nearly 90 minutes of evacuation, the tower collapsed while she was on the 13th floor, trapping her under tons of debris for 27 hours before rescuers reached her.

"I remember the sound. I remember the darkness. I remember the dust," Guzman-McMillan told the crowd, according to Tampa Bay 28.

She said she thinks about those memories every day and has chosen to live out her life and grow her faith to honor those who did not come home. U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna presented Guzman-McMillan with a Congressional Coin at the ceremony, Luna said on X.

Survivor Greg Amira also spoke, describing his escape from the World Trade Center. He said he can still recount every turn he made and every elevator he entered.

Former New York firefighter Rich Miccio described the recovery work at Ground Zero. His crew arrived around 10 a.m. on the day of the attacks and searched until midnight or 1 a.m., then returned the next morning. They worked 24-hour-on, 24-hour-off shifts on what responders called "the pile."

Miccio, who now lives in the Tampa Bay area, told WFLA the memories have never faded. Fellow retired New York firefighter Louis Kikis, also a Tampa Bay resident, attended the Palm Harbor ceremony rather than traveling to New York. Both men said they still feel survivor's guilt.

FOX 13 anchor Mark Wilson served as master of ceremonies at the 10 a.m. service at 1750 Curlew Road. The ceremony featured helicopter flyovers, honor guards, musical performances by the Tampa Bay Heralds of Harmony and a bald eagle appearance from Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue.

Local students played a visible role. Ozona Elementary art teacher Elizabeth Keller, in her 10th year collaborating with Curlew Hills, led fourth and fifth graders from several Pinellas County schools in creating more than 80 custom prints. Students carved their own designs into printing plates and combined the prints into two large collages, one centered on the number 25 and another featuring the American flag, Spectrum Bay News 9 reported.

Curlew Hills also held an essay contest for Pinellas County middle schoolers. The first-place winner received $500 and read their essay at the ceremony. The second-place winner received $250. Curlew Hills donates $500 to the art department of each participating school.

The cemetery's 9/11 memorial section is built around a 150-pound piece of steel from one of the World Trade Center towers. Memorial lights shone from 8 to 10 p.m. on both Thursday, Sept. 10, and Friday, Sept. 11.