Poma told WMFE's Amy Green that the new club will be similar to the original "because that is what supporters and former staffers say they want when they have gathered at Pulse events since the massacre":
“The comment is it doesn’t feel like home. It doesn’t feel like Pulse, and I say, 'Well, when I build you a new one it’s not going to be just like home.' So I think what the message is, it needs to be as much as it can be in its original form.”
As we reported Monday, Poma decided not to sell the current Pulse location, where the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history occurred, to the city of Orlando. Rather than selling and allowing the city to oversee the memorial, Poma is still mulling her options. In a statement released Monday, she says that she can’t walk away from a space that means so much to her family and community.
“I feel a personal obligation to ensure that a permanent space at Pulse be created so that all generations to come will remember those affected by, and taken on, June 12,” she said. “I intend to create a space for everyone, a sanctuary of hope, and a welcoming area to remember all those affected by the tragedy.”
