Looks like the makeshift memorial at the Florida site where the Pulse nightclub once operated will soon be seeing an upgrade. CBS News reports that the city of Orlando voted Monday to purchase the Pulse property, where the club itself stands shuttered amid tributes to the 49 victims who were murdered there in a 2016 mass shooting. Families of those killed and injured during the massacre have long lobbied for a permanent memorial at the site, and now Orlando will plunk down $2 million to scoop up the land to erect a public gathering spot dedicated to the victims.
The city had tried to buy the property a few years ago for $2.2 million, but its owners pulled back from the sale and instead formed the onePULSE Foundation, which made clear its goals to bring in money for a permanent memorial and museum. However, Pulse owner Barbara Poma cut ties with the foundation earlier this year, and the foundation said it was going to look for another property to build its memorial on. That's when the city decided to step in, to the relief of some who lived through the attack. "I'm glad that they looked after us and put this to a rest," survivor Orlando Torres tells WKMG.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer relays the "turmoil" behind the scenes that led to the city's bid. "We think it's important to let families and the victims know that the memorial will be on that site," he says. It's not clear if the onePULSE Foundation will be involved in the memorial on the Pulse property. "We are thankful to the City of Orlando for ensuring that the National Pulse Memorial will be located at the Pulse nightclub site, which was always the hope of families of the 49 victims and the Pulse-impacted community," the onePULSE Foundation wrote in a statement last week. The purchase deal will reportedly close on Nov. 10; it's not clear what plans are in the works for the memorial, or when construction might begin. (More Pulse Orlando shooting stories.)
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