Orlando has officially approved plans for a permanent memorial honoring the Pulse nightclub shooting victims and survivors, punctuating nearly a decade of debate and controversy.
Orlando City Council and Orange County on Monday agreed to the deal, which projects the memorial will cost $12 million. Under the agreement, Orange County will pay $5 million and Orlando will pay the rest, including about $3 million for the site and adjacent lots.
The permanent memorial is set to live on the site of the 2016 shooting that left 49 dead, dozens injured and a community shattered. Final design plans approved in February call for a Memorial and Reflection Space, Survivors Commons, Private Gathering Space, Angel Ellipse Site, Healing and Prism Garden, Reflection Pool and a Visitor Pavillion.
Winter Park construction firm Gomez Construction Co. will build the memorial.
The memorial has been in the works since Orlando took over building plans in late 2023, after the OnePulse Foundation — a nonprofit formed by one of the club’s former owners shortly after the tragedy — announced it was dropping the project. OnePulse, which raised millions of dollars from government and private donors to build a memorial, later dissolved itself in disgrace after burning through its money, paying its founder a six-figure salary, and going into debt.
Gov. Ron DeSantis gave final approval for state funding for the site this summer, granting the state $394,321 to help with construction costs.
The plan’s approval comes amid the Orlando community’s dispute with the state and Gov. DeSantis, who were responsible for the recent removal of a memorial rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse site.
The crosswalk long served as an interim memorial as plans for a truly permanent memorial failed to unfold. It was painted over in August by the Florida Department of Transportation, which attributed the move to safety enhancement and ensuring roads “are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests.”
DeSantis called the crosswalk “political” and later insinuated the rainbow paint was an incentive for drivers who “disagree with the message” to drive recklessly.
The crosswalk has remained a site of controversy as protesters, state lawmakers and local officials have gathered to re-color in the crosswalk with chalk. A total of four people have been arrested for using chalk on the crosswalk.
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