Orlando begins search for Pulse memorial building and design contractor

With a permanent memorial for victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub tragedy finally coming to fruition, city officials in Orlando have officially launched a request for proposals for a contractor to design and build the concept.

The estimated completion date of the memorial is sometime in the second half of 2027, but city officials hope to choose a contractor by this summer and present a proposed contract to the Orlando City Commission for commissioners’ approval. The procurement portal for the project opens March 3 and will remain open for applications through 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 29.

This marks the latest step in the long effort to build a permanent memorial to honor the 49 victims of the June 12, 2016, mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, as well as the dozens of survivors and family members directly affected by the tragedy.

“The City has worked closely with survivors and family members through a Memorial Engagement Process to design a memorial that reflects their desire for a place of solemn reflection that honors and pays tribute to the 49 angels,” a RFP document uploaded to the procurement portal reads. “A place where the victims’ families, survivors, first responders and our community can go to honor, unite, and remember this heartbreaking moment in our city’s and our nation’s history. A place that also serves as a reminder to the world that Orlando is and always will be an inclusive community where every person is welcomed.”

The project was initially delayed by years of false promises proffered by the OnePulse Foundation, a nonprofit founded by former nightclub owner Barbara Poma that dissolved in disgrace last year. The nonprofit reportedly suffered years of mismanagement, and had been criticized for making little progress on a permanent memorial after raising millions of dollars in public and private contributions specifically for the project.

“I’m so pleased with the result and where we are at, and I am pleased we will be able to get this completed prior to me no longer being mayor,” shared Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer during a city workshop on the memorial design last week.

Dyer, who’s closing up his sixth and reportedly final term in office as mayor, has been criticized by some shooting survivors and family members of victims in the past for being complicit in the OnePulse Foundation’s failure to finalize a memorial.

The city purchased the property of the former nightclub at 1912 S. Orange Ave. last year from Poma, her husband Rosario, and a third business partner for $2 million, and plans to purchase adjacent parcels of land from Orlando entrepreneur and DeSantis ally Craig Mateer. Mateer reportedly bought the land from OnePulse for $1 million just ahead of the nonprofit’s dissolution in December 2023.

The ambitious conceptual design for the city’s memorial project was developed with input from a city advisory committee of affected survivors, family members, and community members with relevant professions. The committee first convened last July and gathered for nine hours-long meetings, held both virtually and in-person.

The finalized design features various structures, including a visitor’s pavilion, a survivor’s tribute wall, a reflection pool built over the former dance floor of the club, and an elliptical walkway bordered by 49 columns and rainbow-colored glass panels.

City leaders have indicated they would prefer the memorial site to be accessible 24/7 and for it to be available for the public to visit at no cost. A group of survivors and family members previously expressed concern about proposals for a museum that they saw as a profiteering scheme.

Heather Fagan, Dyer’s chief of staff, told city leaders last week that the city will allocate a $7.5 million budget for the design and construction of the memorial, drawn from city revenue funds.

The total budget listed in procurement documents, including permitting and construction costs, is $12 million, although the proposal asks for bidders to “demonstrate … their willingness and ability to negotiate a price that is less than the budget and meets the design criteria.” Fagan told city commissioners, “We’re having early conversations with other public and private partners for additional funding considerations.”

The project is expected to break ground next year.

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This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2025.