City of Orlando buys Pulse nightclub property to build memorial to massacre victims
Updated: 10:04 AM EDT Oct 25, 2023
BREAKING NEWS. WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. THE CITY OF ORLANDO HAS JUST STRUCK A DEAL TO BUY THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB SITE. WESH 2 WAS THE FIRST TO BREAK THIS NEWS THIS AFTERNOON. AND SINCE THEN, WE HAVE FOUND OUT MUCH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEAL. FAMILIES AND SURVIVORS OF THE MASS SHOOTING HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. WESH 2’S MICHELLE IMPERATO IS IN THE STUDIO WITH THE SALE DETAILS AND MORE ON HOW WE GOT HERE. MICHELLE. WELL, SUMMER NANCY THIS ALL BEGAN WITH A REQUEST FROM SOME OF THE VICTIMS FAMILIES. AFTER THE ONE PULSE FOUNDATION FAILED TO GET A PURCHASE DEAL DONE WITH THE NIGHTCLUB PROPERTY OWNERS. SO LAST MONTH WE TOLD YOU THAT THE LETTER THAT SOME FAMILIES WROTE TO ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR JERRY DEMINGS AND ORLANDO MAYOR BUDDY DYER PLEADED WITH THEM TO INTERVENE SO THAT THE PROPERTY COULD BECOME A PERMANENT MEMORIAL TO THE 2016 ATTACK. THAT LETTER LED TO A MEETING WITH BOTH MAYORS AND WHEN THE GROUP MET WITH DYER, WE’RE TOLD THAT HE ASKED THEM, DO YOU WANT THE CITY TO BUY THE PROPERTY? AND NOW A FEW WEEKS LATER, IT’S PRACTICALLY A DONE DEAL. WESH 2 HAS LEARNED THAT THE CITY HAS SIGNED A PURCHASE AGREEMENT FROM THE PULSE OWNERS BARBARA AND ROSARIO PALMA AND MIKE PANAGIO FOR $2 MILLION. THAT AGREEMENT WILL GO BEFORE THE CITY OF ORLANDO COMMISSIONERS ON MONDAY FOR APPROVAL, AND WESH 2 IS TOLD THAT THERE WILL BE NO OPPOSITION TO THIS DEAL AND ONCE THE COUNCIL SIGNS OFF THE PROPERTY WILL BE CLOSED ON ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27TH. NOW, MAYOR DYER SAID IN A STATEMENT, IN THE INTEREST OF SOLVING CHALLENGES IN A WAY THAT BRINGS OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER, WE HAVE DECIDED TO PURCHASE THE LAND FROM ITS CURRENT OWNERS. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE BEST AND MOST APPROPRIATE WAY TO EXPEDITE THE CREATION OF A PROPER MEMORIAL FOR THE PULSE TRAGEDY. NOW, ASIDE FROM THE PURCHASE, THE MAYOR SAYS THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND THE APPROPRIATE NEXT STEPS WILL BE TAKEN ON THE SITE’S FUTURE. ALL RIGHT, MICHELLE. I KNOW THE TWO OF YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, PROBABLY LONGER THAN THAT. HOW EXACTLY DID WE GET TO THIS POINT? WELL, IT’S A LONG AND COMPLICATED PROCESS. AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT SIDES OF THIS STORY AND THERE ARE A LOT OF EMOTIONS INVOLVED WITH THIS BECAUSE OF THE CONTENT THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A MASS SHOOTING. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT VICTIMS. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES AND WHAT THEY WANT FROM THE FUTURE OF THAT SITE. AND IT’S KIND OF BEEN LOST ALONG THE WAY THAT THAT THERE ARE REAL PEOPLE BEHIND THIS TRAGEDY. AND SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN FIND SOME RESOLUTION. AND I KNOW NANCY, YOU TALKED TO A LOT OF THE VICTIMS FAMILIES. I MEAN, I MEAN, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD MY PHONE GO OFF BECAUSE EVERYONE IS TEXTING, CALLING. WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE RELATIVE OF ONE OF THE VICTIMS HERE IN OUR NEWSROOM WAITING JUST OFF CAMERA TO DO AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE BECAUSE THIS IS JUST SUCH A BIG DAY FOR EVERYONE TOUCHED BY THIS TRAGEDY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE’RE TURNING A PAGE. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, I THINK THAT THE FAMILIES NEED TO HEAR RIGHT NOW IS THAT THERE ARE NO SET PLANS ON WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. THIS IS ONE STEP, ONE SMALL STEP. IT’S NOT SMALL, BUT IT’S A MAJOR STEP. BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BUILDING? WHAT IS THAT MEMORIAL GOING TO LOOK LIKE? WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE MEMORIAL? WE STILL HAVEN’T HEARD FROM THE ONE PULSE FOUNDATION ABOUT WHAT’S NEXT FOR THEM. SO STILL A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ALONG ROAD AHEAD, BUT AT LEAST THIS ONE STEP HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE CITY OF ORLANDO. I ALSO DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT NOT ALL THE VICTIMS FAMILY MEMBERS FEEL THE SAME ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING TO THIS PROPERTY. AND THAT’S WHY THIS HAS BECOME SO COMPLICATED. AS YOU KNOW, WE’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS STORY FOR MONTHS NOW ON AIR, BUT HAVEN’T BEEN INVESTIGATING FOR A YEAR OR MORE. AND SO THERE’S STILL A LOT MORE TO DO, A LOT MORE QUESTIONS TO ASK. BUT AS NANCY SAID, WE HAVE VICTIMS FAMILY MEMBERS HERE IN STUDIO AND WE’RE GOING TO BE ASKING THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THEY FEEL, WHAT THEY’D LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN GOING FORWARD. AND WE ALSO HAVE REACTION FROM THE OTHER SIDE WHO MAY NOT BE HAPPY WITH THE FACT THAT THE CITY IS ON TRACK TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY. WELL, THEY ARE THE FOCUS, AND THAT’S WHO EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR FROM. SO I’M SO GLAD THAT WE’VE GOT SOME INTERVIEWS LINED UP AND YOUR PHONE IS
City of Orlando buys Pulse nightclub property to build memorial to massacre victims
Updated: 10:04 AM EDT Oct 25, 2023
The city of Orlando is moving forward with plans to create a memorial on the property of the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were massacred seven years ago.City leaders agreed Monday night to purchase the property for $2 million. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said they plan a collaborative approach, working with families of the victims to create the memorial.On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen opened fire in the gay nightclub, killing 49 and wounding another 53 people. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. But that number was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas.A SWAT team killed Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, following a standoff.Plans to build the memorial had been in the works for years, but the nonprofit onePulse Foundation announced earlier this year that it was scaling back plans for a $100 million memorial following fundraising challenges.The building still stands, surrounded by a temporary display that honors the victims.”We look forward to being a part of the discussion with the City of Orlando as this moves forward,” a statement from the onePulse Foundation said.
The city of Orlando is moving forward with plans to create a memorial on the property of the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were massacred seven years ago.
City leaders agreed Monday night to purchase the property for $2 million. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said they plan a collaborative approach, working with families of the victims to create the memorial.
On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen opened fire in the gay nightclub, killing 49 and wounding another 53 people. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. But that number was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas.
A SWAT team killed Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, following a standoff.
Plans to build the memorial had been in the works for years, but the nonprofit onePulse Foundation announced earlier this year that it was scaling back plans for a $100 million memorial following fundraising challenges.
The building still stands, surrounded by a temporary display that honors the victims.
“We look forward to being a part of the discussion with the City of Orlando as this moves forward,” a statement from the onePulse Foundation said.
Source
#City #Orlando #buys #Pulse #nightclub #property #build #memorial