Following through on wishes by Mayor Buddy Dyer that the Pulse nightclub in Orlando be turned into a permanent memorial to the mostly-LGBT victims of the deadliest mass shooting in US history, the city has bought the property for $2.25 million.
“There are lots of people that are making a visit to the site part of their trip, part of their experience of Orlando, so I think 12 to 18 months of leaving it as-is would be appropriate,” Dyer said.
In the meantime, the city plans to solicit ideas from the community for what form the lasting memorial should take. Dyer said the city hasn't ruled out leaving part of the club intact permanently, such as the roadside sign featuring its now-iconic logo.
The city's ultimate goal, he said, will be to “create something to honor the memory of the victims that are deceased [and] those that were injured, and a testament to the resilience of our community.”
Dyer first spoke of buying the property last August, though it had been rumored that plans were afoot to make it a permanent memorial already.
