Pulse nightclub will be demolished and dance floor will be included in future designs

On Thursday, the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee took a crucial step to honor the legacy of the 49 lives lost and the resilience of survivors following the Pulse nightclub tragedy.

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Designers, members of community leaders, survivors and victims’ families gathered at City Hall to review and refine proposals for a commemorative coin that will serve as a beacon of love, unity and hope.

“For those who think it’s closure, that it ends the grief and the pain, it doesn’t work that way. What it does do though is kind of put a period at the end of the sentence that has been open for a very long time,” said Nancy Rosado, of the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee.

Thursday’s meeting was the commission’s last chance to agree on what should stay or go.

The group engaged in discussions to ensure every detail (color, shape and symbol) represented the community’s values ​​and honored the lives impacted based on three models presented in previous meetings.

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Architectural renderings, artistic sculptures and innovative landscaping were featured, each reflecting the themes of inclusiveness, remembrance, healing and color.

Although the building itself is falling, the meeting discussed that parts of the dance floor are part of a water feature.

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“What’s happening is a fitting tribute to the people who went out one night to have a good time and ultimately were memorialized the way they should be,” Rosado said.

The city said the design and construction budget is $7.5 million. However, there is now a forecast amount for the entire project.

Orlando City Mayor Buddy Dyer said he wants to see the project completed by the end of his term.

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The project, imbued with purpose and deep meaning, is poised to become a place where visitors from around the world can honor the past, find solace, and recommit to building a future rooted in compassion and equality.

The final meeting to present the final rendering before being presented to council for approval will be February 4 at 4 p.m. in the Fairview meeting room at City Hall.

The city wants your voice to be heard as part of the design which will be revised in February.

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