Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News / Getty Images
After years of fundraising and controversy over what to do with the former Pulse Nightclub site, which saw the largest attack against the LGBTQ+ community in history, Orlando finally has a path forward. The Orlando City Council says they will vote on a proposal that will allow them to purchase the property.
Mayor Buddy Dyer issued the following statement:
"In the interest of solving challenges in a way that brings our community together in love, acceptance and partnership, which is the enduring legacy of Pulse, we have decided to purchase the land from its current owners. We believe that this is the best and most appropriate way to expedite the creation of a proper memorial for the Pulse tragedy. We are committed to taking a thoughtful, collaborative approach to understand the history of the effort to create a memorial up until this point, and then working with the victims’ families and survivors to ensure there is a memorial at the Pulse site that honors the victims, those impacted by the tragedy and pays tribute to the resiliency of Orlando"
The purchase price is reported to be $2 million, which the council plans to approve on Monday. The property has since been a makeshift, then semi-permanent memorial to the 49 victims of the shooting that took place on June 12, 2016.