Florida Construction News staff writer

The City of Orlando has confirmed its plan to build a Pulse Memorial and Museum before 2026 – 10 years since the mass shooting at the site that killed 49 people.

Orlando purchased the Pulse property for $2 million in October.

Mayor Buddy Dyer says the city has been in talks with the onePulse Foundation, which has shared its plans for memorial design, but will not be contributing to the project fund.

“We do not anticipate receiving any funds from the foundation. And if there happens to be some I’m not aware of it at this point,” Dyer said.

In a Dec. 19 statement, the city said the process to move the memorial forward involves understanding the history of the effort to create a memorial up until this point.

“To that end, on November 27, Mayor Dyer convened a meeting with the OnePulse Foundation Board to gain insight and information on work they’ve done to date towards the creation of a memorial.

Another goal was to discuss the impacts of the organization’s dissolution.

Mayor Dyer said he believes the best approach to creating a memorial at the Pulse site is for the City of Orlando to lead the process.

“To do this, the city will utilize its existing 501c3 and establish the Orlando United Pulse Memorial Fund,” he said in a statement.  “This will allow for interested businesses, community organizations and individuals to contribute financially towards the creation of the memorial.”