By Jim Carchidi
March 6, 2026
New renderings and a construction timeline for the long-anticipated memorial honoring the 49 lives lost in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting were revealed on March 5 at Orlando City Hall.
Project planning
The Pulse memorial will replace the nightclub with several outdoor components and a visitors' center. Images courtesy of Gomez Construction Company and Borrelli + Partners, Inc.
Representatives from design partners, Gomez Construction Company and Borrelli + Partners, Inc., gathered to unveil new renderings for project stakeholders and members of the community. The memorial will mostly incorporate outdoor settings and retain the shape of the building floor plan. Specific areas of the nightclub will be commemorated, such as the dance floor and the “breach wall” where police entered the building on the night of the shooting.
The Pulse sign will be removed and placed into storage on March 10, and building demolition and site clearing will begin on March 18. Items were removed from the site in December and placed into storage. Some are earmarked for permanent display in an on-site visitors' center.
Renderings
The site will be surrounded by the Angel Ellipse: a curving, shaded structure with colonnades honoring each of the 49 victims, and spaces for reflection. Colonnades will be constructed with perforated material to allow family members and friends to attach flowers and memorial items.
A reflecting pool will be at the center of the site, in the exact location of the dance floor. The actual dance floor was removed from the building and will be installed in the pool. The breach wall will be memorialized by an obelisk where the wall once stood. The opening at the center looks out toward a private gathering space (shown below).
Lighting for nighttime visits will be installed throughout the site.
A fountain wall at the north end will display each victim’s name with the quote, “For all those who just wanted to dance,” in English and Spanish.
A survivors' wall will offer a shaded seating area and memorial tree representing resilience and peace.
A 3,500-square-foot visitors' center will house exhibits that include items salvaged from the nightclub.
History
Plans for a memorial began soon after the June 12, 2016, mass shooting that killed 49 people and injured 53. The onePulse Foundation was formed to manage the project, but dissolved in 2023 after years of delays, inflated budgets and fundraising shortfalls. The property was acquired by the city for $2 million and the design/build process is now driven by the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee: a group of 18 members formed in 2024. Members possess a direct relationship to the tragedy or professional experience relevant to managing the design process.
About $12.8 million in construction funding has been secured with $5 million coming from Orange County government, $7.5 million from the City of Orlando general fund, and $394,321 from a grant agreement with the State of Florida.
Some victims’ advocacy groups allege a lack of transparency in the shooting investigation and cite code violations that blocked escape routes on the night of the shooting. Two speakers addressed the issues during the public comments portion of the March 5 presentation. The city has released statements regarding the allegations, and a city representative told The Orlando Real that police and FBI investigations “did not show any meaningful violations.”
Next steps
Key dates in the project timeline are as follows:
March 10: Pulse sign removal
March 18: Building demolition and site clearing begins
May 8: 60% Design submission update
September 2026: Construction begins
September 2027: Expected completion of memorial
Additional updates will be posted on the Pulse Orlando website.
Sponsor: The Orlando Real is sponsored by the Pozek Group — the #1 real estate team in Orlando and the Official Real Estate Team of the Orlando Magic.
About the Author
Jim Carchidi is an Orlando journalist and photographer with previous work at the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal. He covers development, arts, culture, and local stories for The Orlando Real.
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