Orlando has deal to purchase Pulse Nightclub, Mayor Dyer says

After seven years of debate and controversy surrounding plans to build a permanent memorial at Pulse Nightclub, the city of Orlando has a deal to purchase the site of what was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at the time, Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel Wednesday.

City commissioners Monday will vote on the $2 million purchase, which Dyer says will begin a process toward building a memorial on the site of the 2016 shooting that killed 49 and wounded 53 more. If approved by the city council, the sale would close Oct. 27, Dyer said.

“Unfortunately it’s been seven years and we’ve not been able to move forward on beginning the construction of a memorial on that site, which I think most people agree is the most appropriate place for it to be,” Dyer said. “We think we were probably the only ones that could step in and at least calm the situation down and make sure that everybody understands that we will in fact build a memorial on that site.”

The club has remained under the ownership of Barbara Poma and her husband Rosario, as well as Daytona Beach businessman Michael Panaggio. Barbara Poma was the executive director of the onePulse Foundation, the nonprofit that is leading efforts to build a memorial and museum.

She stepped down as executive director in 2021 and left the organization entirely earlier this year.

In a written statement, Barbara and Rosario Poma thanked Dyer and the commissioners for agreeing to purchase the site, which they owned since before the tragedy happened.

“After the senseless, horrific tragedy of June 12, 2016, the site where Pulse nightclub stands will finally serve as the permanent national memorial. As we always intended, it will honor the 49 lives taken while providing a sanctuary for victims’ families, all survivors, first responders and for our community. We are grateful to Mayor Dyer and the City Commission for making this a reality,” the Pomas said.

“June 12, 2016 will always be remembered for the despicable act of terrorism and attack on the LGBTQIA+ community, but our hope is that this sacred ground will become a space for healing. Pulse nightclub opened as a place of love and acceptance for all and will now forever serve as a reminder that no act of hate can ever erase love.”

The former LGBTQ nightclub on South Orange Avenue has become hallowed ground for survivors, families and mourners after the shooting, including a 150-yard photo wall with artworks and photos of vigils.

Dyer said the city hasn’t made any decisions on the future of the building or what a memorial would look like, but said the city would address a timetable later.

“Our most important aspect right now is to make sure we secure having the property and having the ability to create the memorial —whatever it may be on that site,” he said. “We haven’t made any decisions about how we go forward after the acquisition of the property.”

City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, also the region’s first openly gay elected official, said she thought the city was the best entity to manage the site, but said involving families and survivors should be the priority.

“I think we’re the ones that will get this done,” she said. “We need to have input from the families before we do anything.”

News of the potential sale was applauded by many, though some survivors and family members remain skeptical the sale will result in a memorial.

Belinnette Ocasio-Capo, sister of Pulse victim Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, said she feels uncomfortable about the deal as it stands currently. She said she and her family have felt ignored by the Pomas and onePulse.

“I honestly think that nothing will be done since it has been with the same issue for seven years,” she said in a text in Spanish.

But Carlos Guillermo Smith, Equality Florida’s senior policy advisor who is running for Florida Senate District 17 as a Democrat, said public control and ownership of the site is the best way to ensure that the wants and needs of Pulse families and survivors are respected.

“The city is the only entity truly accountable to the people and to this community who want to see this sacred ground preserved as a space of mourning and reflection, not paved over or turned into a parking garage,” he said.

The $2 million purchase price is a hair higher than appraisal, which records show ranged from $1.85 million to $1.965 million, city officials said. The land is .35 acres off South Orange Avenue.

In 2016, months after the shooting, the city announced it had a deal to purchase the club site from the Pomas for $2.25 million, though before the city council voted on it, the Pomas backed out.

Plans to honor victims with a permanent memorial have evolved since then.

Plans for a museum and memorial honoring the victims were announced by onePulse in 2019, which included a reflecting pool, 49 trees encircling the club and a museum nearby. But funding such a large memorial became a challenge – cost estimates showed about a $100 million price tag – and in May the foundation announced plans to scale it back.

A “survivors walk” remains under construction linking the club with the Orlando Regional Medical Center where victims were treated nearby. The foundation’s new plan included converting a warehouse into a museum.

Talks between the Pomas and the city ramped up over the past two weeks or so, resulting in the deal. Dyer said he recently met with families of victims and survivors who wanted a memorial to be constructed on the site of the club, which was also applauded by Deborah Bowie, the executive director of onePulse.

“We are thankful to the City of Orlando for ensuring that the National Pulse Memorial will be located at the Pulse nightclub site, which was always the hope of families of the 49 victims and the Pulse-impacted community. We look forward to being a part of the discussion with the City of Orlando as this moves forward,” she said.

Brandon Wolf, who survived the shooting, said in a statement he was glad to see the city take ownership when plans for a memorial grew uncertain earlier this year.

“Pulse is sacred ground. It’s still the spot where so many of us feel closest to the people we loved and lost on June 12, 2016,” he said. “And it is past time for the property to become a permanent space where people can grieve, reflect, and honor those stolen from us—a space created by and for the community.”

rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com, arabines@orlandosentinel.com