© 2024 90.7 WMFE. All Rights Reserved.
Public Media News for Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

UPATE: Pulse Memorial Gets $10 Million Boost From County

People visit the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where a memorial has been set up, in May. (Cassi Alexandra, special to ProPublica)
People visit the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where a memorial has been set up, in May. (Cassi Alexandra, special to ProPublica)

Orange County commissioners Tuesday approved $10 million for a Pulse memorial and museum.

The money will go toward land acquisitions expanding the site of the 2016 mass shooting at the gay nightclub that left 49 dead and dozens more wounded.

The commissioners unanimously approved the spending using tourism development tax money after Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs spoke emotionally on the issue.

"Today we sit here with a decision before us that allows us to impact the future and the future lives of our children, who will grow up not feeling that discrimination and that they might be afraid to go to a nightclub but how about they're not afraid to tell their parents how they feel."

The memorial and museum is projected to draw at least 300,000 visitors a year.

Pulse owner Barbara Poma presented the project as a unique opportunity to establish a national memorial and museum in partnership with the National Park Service.

"You have to remember that a museum is something we're going to build today, and we may not understand or see the after effects of what it provides to our community for generations to come, who were not here to understand the story of Pulse."

A design is expected to be finalized by this time next year.

 

 

Amy Green covered the environment for WMFE until 2023. Her work included the 2020 podcast DRAINED.