Pulse nightclub property sold to city of Orlando
By Web Staff
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ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed in 2016, has been sold.
WESH 2 has confirmed with multiple sources that the city of Orlando is purchasing the property from owners Barbara and Rosario Poma and Mike Panaggio.
The deal was struck about two weeks ago and will go before the Orlando City Council on Monday for approval.
WESH 2 is told there is no opposition to the deal from commissioners. WESH 2 has confirmed the property is being purchased for $2 million.
The proposed land purchase will go before the city council for approval on Oct. 23, but there is no opposition to the deal.
The property, which is currently home to an interim memorial to the victims of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub attack, has been the source of controversy for the last several years.
Victims, families, and survivors have long wanted a permanent memorial on the site.
The onePULSE Foundation has been working toward that but severed ties with the property owners earlier this year.
That led families to reach out to the city of Orlando and Orange County, asking them to intervene.
“I cannot explain to you how much this means and I know that these are this is step one, and there’s many to overcome,” said Laly Santiago-Leon, who is a cousin of Pulse victim Luis Daniel Wilson Leon. “My hope is that we all come together again, and we remember why we are here, why this is here, what transpired.”
Here is the letter 26 survivors and victims’ families sent to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings in August.
It reads in part: “We seek your compassion and help in ensuring that the site of the tragedy of Pulse Nightclub serves as the proper and only location for this memorial. No other location makes sense to honor the loved ones we have lost. We have notified the OnePulse Foundation of our concerns and our request. But we believe that you — more than anyone — understand how we feel.”
Brenda Campos Marquez is a cousin of Pulse survivors and Pulse victim who died, Brenda Marquez McCool.
The cost behind the purchase deal worries her.
“Do you know how many survivors are still in need of surgeries?” Marquez said. “The city wants to buy now. Wow. It makes you think, what’s under their sleeve, what is the next step?”
Marquez plans to go to a future doctor visit with Jorshua Hernandez in Puerto Rico.
Hernandez is a Pulse survivor.
“I have the bullet inside of me,” Hernandez said. “I had to go to the emergency room to check me because, at that moment, I don’t have no insurance.”
He wonders why the Pulse purchase deal took seven years.
“Now the question is, now what’s going to happen with onePULSE Foundation?” Hernandez said. “They need to close onePULSE Foundation – that’s it.”
Some Pulse survivors and some families who oppose the purchase deal sent a statement, saying, “We will continue to advocate for a criminal investigation and inspection of the code violations and unpermitted renovations inside Pulse that hindered escape and rescue before the city bulldozes the building and tries to destroy the evidence.”
Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office released this statement Wednesday about the sale of the property: “Creating a memorial to the victims of the Pulse tragedy has been a challenging endeavor, with the current plan for the memorial to be built somewhere besides the actual Pulse site.
“We recently had the opportunity to meet with and listen to some of the family members of the victims, as well as survivors. They expressed their strong desire for a lasting memorial to be located on the Pulse site. The hurt and pain they shared – now more than seven years since the tragedy – only solidified our belief that the 49 angels deserve a permanent memorial on the Pulse site.
“In the interest of solving challenges in a way that brings our community together in love, acceptance and partnership, which is the enduring legacy of Pulse, 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.
“Given that the City has not been a part of this process, our plan is to first acquire the land, and then determine the appropriate next steps. We are committed to taking a thoughtful, collaborative approach to understand the history of the effort to create a memorial up until this point, and then working with the victims’ families and survivors to ensure there is a memorial at the Pulse site that honors the victims, those impacted by the tragedy and pays tribute to the resiliency of Orlando.”
Owners Barbara and Rosario Poma respond The nightclub owners issued this statement: “After the senseless, horrific tragedy of June 12, 2016, the site where Pulse nightclub stands will finally serve as the permanent national memorial. As we always intended, it will honor the 49 lives taken while providing a sanctuary for victims’ families, all survivors, first responders and for our community. We are grateful to Mayor Dyer and the City Commission for making this a reality.
“June 12, 2016 will always be remembered for the despicable act of terrorism and attack on the LGBTQIA+ community, but our hope is that this sacred ground will become a space for healing. Pulse nightclub opened as a place of love and acceptance for all and will now forever serve as a reminder that no act of hate can ever erase love.”
The onePULSE Foundation sent a statement to WESH 2 on Wednesday:
“We are thankful to the city of Orlando for ensuring that the National Pulse Memorial will be located at the Pulse nightclub site, which was always the hope of families of the 49 victims and the Pulse-impacted community. We look forward to being a part of the discussion with the city of Orlando as this moves forward,” the onePULSE Foundation said in a statement.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings responds Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ office responded: “Today’s news will hopefully bring some measure of comfort to the Pulse survivors, and to the families and loved ones of the 49 Angels. When the site becomes a permanent memorial, it will be a place for reflection and love. I want to express my appreciation to the City of Orlando for stepping up to bring resolution to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the site of the tragedy. Let us never forget and learn to value each other despite our differences. It will be through moving forward that we continue to honor the legacy of those we lost. Orange County will be meeting with the onePULSE Foundation to discuss our current investment in the proposed museum.”
The city council will vote on the land purchase next Monday. WESH 2 is told no commissioners will oppose it.
After the vote, the property sale will close on Oct. 27.
It is unclear what may be planned for the property.
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