Gabrielle Russon
The House and Senate have agreed to budget just over $394,000 toward building a permanent memorial for Orlando’s Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people in 2006.
The two chambers closed out the Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development budget when talks resumed Monday evening.
Initially, the House proposed about $197,000, but then agreed to the Senate’s larger offer to help the city of Orlando build a $12 million memorial that includes a reflection pool, a survivor’s tribute wall and a visitor pavilion.
“While the state budget is still a work in progress and requires final approval by both legislative chambers, we are very pleased to see that the House and Senate are currently proposing to fully fund the City of Orlando’s request for a generous state contribution towards the Pulse Memorial,” Orlando spokeswoman Ashley Papagni said in a statement.
“We are thankful to the appropriation sponsors and House and Senate leadership for their support of the victims, survivors, families, and first responders impacted by the Pulse tragedy.”
Last week, the Orange County Commission approved giving $5 million toward the project’s funding. The city has also allocated $7.5 million from its general fund for the memorial.
Saturday’s annual CommUNITY Rainbow 4.9K Run also raised an estimated $144,500, including sponsorship funds, according to Papagni.
On June 12, 2016, a shooter murdered the people who had been dancing at the Pulse nightclub, a LGBTQ-friendly club south of downtown Orlando.
In the years since the mass shooting, a private foundation that had been raising money to build a controversial $100 million Pulse museum collapsed amid mismanagement.
Some community members — including city officials — have spoken out in anger and frustration that no permanent memorial exists to this day and all the money is gone from the onePulse Foundation’s fundraising efforts.
The city of Orlando has stepped in to lead the efforts of building a memorial with construction expected to begin in June 2026 and be completed within the second half of 2027. The city purchased the site where the night club remains for $2 million in 2023.
“None of us thought it would take nine years to get to this point,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who in 2016 was the county Sheriff, according to the Orlando Business Journal. “We can’t go back and relitigate all the failures along the way that happened, but what we can control is how we move forward together.”
During Saturday’s race, runners and walkers moved past Orlando City Hall, down Orange Avenue, past Orlando Health where shooting victims were taken, to the turnaround at the Pulse nightclub. Some racers stopped to touch the nightclub, which is covered today in tribute photos. Some wiped away tears. Emotional support dogs and spectators waving rainbow flags cheered on the participants who crossed the finish line back at City Hall.
The race’s participation has been declining over the years, with about 2,700 participants in 2023 down to about 1,500 this year amid the onePulse Foundation controversy.
“The CommUNITY Rainbow Run is more than just a run — it is a powerful symbol of resilience, unity and love in the Orlando community in the wake of the Pulse tragedy,” Papagni said.
“The event was started by UCF graduate students at the one-year mark of the Pulse tragedy. Their vision was to help the community with the healing process, recognizing that running, walking and spending time with others in a supportive environment can have a positive impact and continue to bring the people together. Additionally, we’ve heard from victims’ families and survivors that the race was meaningful to them and hoped that the city would continue with the event.”
