Orlando moves forward with permanent Pulse memorial

The Pulse nightclub was demolished in just two hours March 18, an action that took nearly a decade.

Construction crews demolished the nightclub that morning to make way for a permanent memorial, a process that began with the removal of the site’s sign.

The crew first removed the white paneling that was around the base of the sign on March 10. They stabilized the structure, as the sign had to be methodically disassembled and secured prior to removal.

The following day, March 11, the top portion of the sign was secured with straps that went through the interior of the sign. The crew worked slowly and carefully to secure it. The top was hooked to a crane and was moved to a flatbed. It took the crew 30 minutes to lower the sign.

In the process, the sign’s white acrylic glass moved out of place and hit what seemed to be light bulbs, as there were sounds of glass breaking. Watermark Out News reached out to Andrea Otero, public information manager of the city, to confirm what happened with the acrylic glass.

“The sign itself did not break,” Otero said in an email. “The rivets attaching the acrylic detached.”

The top portion of the sign, which contains the logo, was removed to be preserved for future use. The sign was moved to a climate-controlled storage and City of Orlando officials say it will be preserved and incorporated into the final memorial design.

The permanent memorial is planned for the former site of the nightclub at 1912 S. Orange Ave, where 49 people were killed, and 53 were wounded in what was then the nation’s deadliest mass shooting.

The memorial was delayed after the years of uncertainty and the founding and dissolution of the onePULSE Foundation, which was started in late 2016 by Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma. She, her husband Rosario Poma and business owner

Michael Panaggio previously owned the property, and Barbara was the executive director of the foundation.

It had a board of directors throughout the years made up of 27 people, but critics noted there were no survivors or victims’ family members on the board. They also noted that the foundation failed to publicly lay out the ownership transfer of the property.

The original project, unveiled in 2019 by the onePULSE Foundation, called for a museum and permanent memorial costing $45 million. That estimate eventually soared to $100 million.

When the foundation quietly dissolved at the end of 2023, trust was broken for many in the community, particularly among survivors and families.

The city ultimately purchased the Pulse property last year for $2 million, as well as a neighboring property for $1 million.
While completion is scheduled for Sept. 2027, community members feel that the survivors and the families should have more of a say in the permanent memorial, not the city.

The sign from the Pulse nightclub is removed on March 11 by construction crews. The following week, March 18, the building is demolished to make way for a permanent memorial. (Photos by Bellanee Plaza)

James Houchin, one activist, thinks 10 years is too long for a permanent memorial. He chalks rainbow colors on the crosswalk near Pulse each day as the original rainbow crosswalk was removed by the Florida Department of Transportation on Aug. 21. The crosswalk was installed on West Esther St. off South Orange Ave. in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Its removal followed a memo released by FDOT regarding inconsistent “pavement surface markings.” The state’s directive has been used to target inclusive crosswalks and street murals throughout Florida and was a response to a “safety initiative” from the Trump administration.

Before the sign removal and structure demolition, Houchin would visit the crosswalk to chalk, even in the middle of the night. In the days leading up to the removal and demolition, he came out after midnight or 4 a.m. and says taking the time to reapply the colors shows the state that the community is still fighting no matter what they remove.

He was arrested in November for chalking the crosswalk and was charged with interference with a traffic control device or a railroad sign. Florida Highway Patrol claimed the act caused $1,000 in damages to the crosswalk but the charges were dropped to criminal mischief, which is a second-degree misdemeanor.

When it comes to the memorial he thinks that there are people that need to be held accountable for the loss of money. He says it was hard to watch the sign removal and demolition as Pulse affected so many community members. When he would see the Pulse sign, he says, it was a sign of hope and love.

“They raised tens of millions of dollars in promises of a memorial that was never built,” Houchin shares. “Thankfully the city has stepped in and is moving forward quite aggressively with building a memorial. However, I believe the city needs to give more seats to families, to survivors, the people who were directly affected by this to have a say so on what the memorial should be like.”

He says there are concerns for what the memorial will look like and calls current designs a “tourist attraction.” The renderings are subject to change as officials and designers for the memorial have only reached 30% completion as of March 5.

Houchin says the designs are still considered ideas as the city will hold a 60% meeting in May.

At the City Hall meeting, the renderings showed the conceptual design crafted by the advisory board in 2024; however, there were changes, such as half the original number of columns supporting the arching structure. An elliptical pathway surrounds the space, and designers said the modification worked better for the size of the property.

The modification also allows for more space as there will be spots to reflect and grieve. The columns represent the victims; each column will have the name of a victim and potentially display the flag of each nationality.

When speaking about the memorial, Dan-Michael Trbovich, the project manager for the firm Borrelli and Partners, became emotional when saying that this memorial has the ability to heal and that this is an active engagement.

“This tragedy took more than lives,” Trbovich said tearfully. “It harmed people who survived, deeply affected their lives. We wanted the opportunity for people to commune, to sit, to reflect with those that they lost… and in some measure, heal, forgive and to move on because life will move on, but I believe those of our past seek to be remembered.”

The design group previously worked on the national September 11 memorial. Gomez Construction Company of Winter Park is also part of the project.

In the private gathering area, there will be a location of capsules assigned to each of the 49 lives lost in 2016. The renderings showed a reflection pool with a rainbow ripple design in the center, alongside the “angel ellipse.” On the north side, a water wall will also have the names of each victim along with the quote “For all those who just wanted to dance” in English and Spanish.

The memorial will also include a 3,500 square-foot visitors’ center and will have items connected with the nightclub on display. The designers spoke about the idea of a “survivor’s tree” planted at the site, possibly an olive tree, which represents peace and unity throughout history.

The primary component of the Memorial Plaza will be the outline of the Pulse Building itself. Designers explained that the center was the actual location of the dance floor at Pulse nightclub, and part of the floor will be utilized.

“We’re going to remove a section of the Pulse nightclub floor and place that in the direction of that reflecting pool, so there’s a connection between the Pulse nightclub floor and that reflecting pool where you have dance … represented,” they said.

The $12-13 million project is funded by the city, county, state and private donors.

Houchin wants the families of the victims, the survivors and the people who were directly affected by Pulse to be heard, especially by the city.

“I think part of that healing process is to listen to what the community would like to see, what the families would like to see — because in the end, it’s what the survivors and what the families want,” Houchin says. “They’re the ones that need to have the say so in this, not the city.”

Partial renderings show the conceptual design for the permanent memorial and were presented at the 30% design meeting on March 5. (Photos courtesy City of Orlando)

During the public comment section of the 30% design meeting, the two people who spoke were critical of the design and the long process that led to the memorial. Winter Springs resident Christine Hanavan said the city ignored victims and families who disagreed with the memorial plans. She stated her concerns, calling the memorial insensitive.

“I’m especially concerned with the wood floor and outside patio tiles on the so-called artifact list, and that you’re going to use the unpermitted dance floor as part of the reflecting pool. Dozens of people died on those floors, another person died on that patio,” she said. “All of this is absolutely abhorrent. It shows zero empathy and consideration for the survivors and victims.

“The 49 who were murdered deserve a respectful, dignified and peaceful memorial that their family’s control, not the City of Orlando,” she continued. “The Pulse Memorial shouldn’t be an over-designed, attention-grabbing tourist destination and vanity project.”

Kassanndra Santiago, candidate for Orange County Soil and Water, District 3, was present during the Pulse sign removal. She wants the victims and families to be centered as well. She advises the community feels indifferent toward the memorial timeline and doesn’t want there to be anymore delays.

“I think we need to be mindful that the conversation shouldn’t end just because the sign comes down, just because the building comes down,” Santiago shares. “We need to continue having the conversation. We need to continue to make sure we center the victims, and we also need to continue to hold anybody and everybody accountable who slowed down the process of getting this memorial.”

Santiago became emotional as she reflected on her time at Pulse and the timeline of the memorial. She would go to Pulse with her friend Zafia Gomez, who also was present during the sign removal.

“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years and I’m standing across the street finally seeing a crane,” Santiago said tearfully. “This is a beautiful club; it’s a beautiful space. It’s 10 years too late, but I’m happy that it’s happening.”

Gomez is the LGBT services manager at the Hope CommUNITY Center and says she wanted to see the removal because she wanted to see the first steps toward a permanent memorial. She wants the memorial to be a space that honors the victims properly.

“I just really hope that we’re able to, as a community, come together on the truth and come together on trying to create more spaces where we are honoring them with dignity and not just for opportunity because it’s what we have to do,” Gomez explains.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan were present during the sign removal and demolition.

Dyer spoke to the media during the demolition and told Watermark Out News that he feels good about the timeline of the permanent memorial.

“We reached 30% design exactly when we thought we would,” Dyer notes. “We will reach final design late summer, early fall and then begin the constriction and I’m very confident in the construction schedule.”

He says it’s not about remembering the past but moving on to the future to create a permanent memorial. He notes that everyone is in a different place in their healing journey when it comes to the aftermath of Pulse.

When asked about accountability on the former owner, Dyer said he did not have “any comment for that.”
Sheehan called the demolition bittersweet, adding that she feels good about moving forward. She wanted the building to be demolished because the building itself felt like an “open sore.”

“I hope that this building coming down and this memorial being built will get us to a point where we’re Orlando United, where people… realize this is about honoring the 49 that passed and continuing to help those that are very impacted emotionally,” Sheehan shared. “Those young people that survived saw things that men that go to war don’t see.”

Also present during the sign removal and demolition was Nancy Rosado, a Pulse Memorial committee member. In the aftermath of the mass shooting at Pulse, Rosado, a retired NYPD sergeant and social worker, provided services for survivors and victims’ families.

Rosado would hold group therapies with the mothers of the victims as she worked with UCF Restores. The sessions included a Hispanic therapist and were held in a church. She says the support groups were meaningful as it helped the mothers move through their grief. The goal is to move forward, she says.

She served on the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee set up by the City of Orlando in June 2024 to develop the conceptual design. She says when she found out she was picked for the committee, she knew she wanted the cultural and linguistic component to be as accurate as possible.

That’s because the LGBTQ+ nightclub was hosting Latin Night when the shooting happened, and more than 90% of the victims were Hispanic or Latino.

Rosado says the committee came together on their decisions of the memorial and while more updates are to come, she doesn’t want there to be a gap between the LGBTQ+ and the Hispanic and Latin community.

“We came together as a committee, I can’t say everybody was peachy keen and happy with each other, but we all came away with an understanding about this next phase,” Rosado shares. “The design and everything is such an honor to both the LGBTQ+ and the Hispanic community.”

Although progress is being made toward a permanent memorial, Rosado acknowledges that the site of an empty lot where Pulse used to stand can make the community emotional. She describes it as ripping off a Band-Aid or retouching a wound.

“It resonates with a lot of people because this is where they came to be themselves, to relax, to feel like they were safe,” she explains. “It will resonate; it will hurt. It’s like touching a wound or pulling the scab off a little bit. But with wounds like that, many times you pull off the scab, but you’re not bleeding like you did back then. In other words, emotionally, this is … going to hurt a little.”

While construction is scheduled to start this fall, the community can still pay their respects at the site as Houchin says there will always be chalk available. He says it’s important to still treat the space as an active memorial and he will continue to chalk the crosswalk daily.

“Even though the sign is gone, the building is gone, it still very much is a place of remembrance,” Houchin shares.

For more information and updates, visit PulseOrlando.org.