Pulse nightclub, the site of a hate-fuelled shooting that resulted in the death of 49 members of Florida’s LGBTQ+ community, is set to be purchased by the City of Orlando in the coming months.
Orlando is hoping to acquire the property of the former nightclub to transform it into a memorial for the victims of the shooting, which took place on June 12, 2016. The attack, which claimed the lives of 49 and injured an additional 53 individuals, remains the deadliest act of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in United States history and was, at the time, the deadliest mass shooting in the country.
More than seven years after the tragic event, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has announced the city’s plans to purchase the location with hopes of converting it into a “proper memorial” for the victims and their families. Mayor Dyer additionally shared that they are hoping to acquire the former Pulse nightclub location for $2 million.
Dyer plans to bring the proposal for the memorial site to Orlando city council on Monday, October 31, the mayor told the Associated Press in a statement.
We recently met with some families of the victims, and survivors of the Pulse tragedy, who shared their desire for a permanent memorial at the Pulse site. To expedite the creation of a lasting memorial to honor the 49 angels, the City of Orlando is pursuing purchasing the site. pic.twitter.com/WYdqS5KgLx
— Mayor Buddy Dyer (@orlandomayor) October 18, 2023
It reads: “In the interest of solving challenges in a way that brings our community together in love, acceptance, and partnership, which is the enduring legacy of Pulse, we have decided to purchase the land from its current owners.
“We believe that this is the best and most appropriate way to expedite the creation of a proper memorial for the Pulse tragedy.”
Dyer is working hand in hand with Barbara Poma, Rosario Pom, and Michael Panaggio, the owners of Pulse nightclub, to plan the hopeful memorial site.
Poma, Pom and Panaggio have been working to establish a memorial for the shooting victims since 2016, even founding the onePulse Foundation, which was dedicated to this very cause.
The onePulse Foundation announced in 2022 that they would be scaling back their efforts to establish a $100 million memorial for the victims, citing difficulty with raising funds for the project. Mayor Dyer is hoping to receive permission from the Orlando city council to get the onePulse Foundation’s plans back on track.
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