More than a decade after the deadly Pulse nightclub shooting, Orlando leaders are set Monday to give final approval on the design of a permanent memorial for the 49 victims.
The memorial will be built on the site of the former nightclub. Inside, visitors would encounter a disco ball casting light across the walls, a timeline of the night of the shooting, artwork and the names of all 49 victims.
Outside, the design calls for a water wall, a reflecting pool where the dance floor once stood, and concrete salvaged from the Pulse site.
“To see this evolution — everyone had an idea of what they thought it would be, but the interesting thing is what did come out of the discussion, something pretty remarkable, something we would not have anticipated,” senior project manager Dan Michael Trbovich said in May following the release of new renderings.
The project has faced significant challenges. The nonprofit originally tasked with building a memorial and museum dissolved in 2023.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has previously stated that completing a permanent Pulse memorial is the most important and final goal he plans to accomplish before leaving office.
“What happened, in my opinion, is that they got too grandiose in what they wanted to do — with having a museum as well as a memorial,” Dyer said. “If they had been focused on solely getting a memorial done, they probably could have got that done.”
Monday’s design approval meeting is set for 2 p.m. Final approval would clear the path toward beginning construction.