The City of Orlando has just announced its intent to purchase the former Pulse Nightclub property to create a public memorial.
OnePulse Foundation officially walked away from the memorial site in July 2023 following a public divorce from its founder and Pulse Nightclub co-owner, Barbara Poma. At the time, the City of Orlando had shared with Bungalower Media that it had no interest in purchasing the property.
Despite that statement, the mayor’s office issued the following announcement via Twitter earlier today.
As shared in the statement, the City of Orlando will put the $2 million land purchase up for vote with City Council on October 23, after which it will work on the next steps to ultimately create a public-led memorial on the property, in honor of the 49 people who were shot and killed there in June 12, 2016. If approved, the sale is expected to close on October 27.
The City of Orlando tried to purchase the property immediately following the shootings seven years ago for $2.25 million before the Pomas, and Daytona-based Michael Panaggio, decided to keep the property at the last minute – choosing to launch their own non-profit and build their own memorial instead.
According to the Orange County Property Appraiser’s website, the land was valued at $385,000 in 2022, though according to a report by Orlando Sentinel, the property was recently appraised at $1.9 million.
