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December 19, 2023 – ORLANDO, FL – This update is intended to expand the City of Orlando's transparency regarding the development of a permanent monument at the Pulse club site and keep the community updated on that effort.
This update corresponds with an update that the OnePulse Foundation emailed this morning to its database on behalf of the City of Orlando.
Since the municipality acquired the Pulse club site in October, several actions have been taken to move the project forward, including:
History of work done to date
Part of the municipality's process to move the monument forward involves understanding the history of the effort to create the monument up to this point. To that end, on November 27, Mayor Dyer convened a meeting with the board of directors of the OnePulse Foundation to learn about the work done to date in creating the memorial. During that meeting, the board agreed to share the work of designing the monument with the township.
Annual CommUNITY 5k Run and Commemoration Ceremony
Another goal of meeting with the OnePulse Foundation board of directors was to understand the impact of the organization's dissolution. In addition to leading the tribute process, the municipality has assured that the Annual Commemoration Ceremony and the CommUNITY Rainbow Run, in partnership with the UCF DeVos Sports Business Management Program, both previously organized by OnePulse, will continue in 2024. These events allow the community gather to honor their 49 angels each year. Additional information and details on partnerships for planning the CommUNITY 5k Run and Commemoration Ceremony are being finalized.
Establishment of the Orlando United Pulse Memorial Fund
Mayor Dyer believes the best way to create a place of remembrance at the Pulse club site is for the City of Orlando to lead the process. To do this, the municipality will use the 501c3 category to establish the Orlando United Pulse Memorial Fund. This will allow interested businesses, community organizations and individuals to contribute financially to the creation of the monument.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Working with the victims' families and survivors is critical to creating a permanent memorial at the Pulse club site that honors the victims, those affected by the tragedy, and pays tribute to Orlando's resilience. To achieve this, the municipality is finalizing a process to communicate and count on the families of the victims, survivors and first responders. To start, the city has established a webpage dedicated to collecting contact information which you can access at orlando.gov/pulsememorial.
Our commitment
The council remains committed to developing the permanent memorial at the Pulse club site and to doing so in a thoughtful, planned, transparent and timely manner. The municipality will continue to provide updates to the community as work progresses and there are more details to share.
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