ORLANDO, Fla. — After assuming leadership over creating the Pulse nightclub shooting memorial and a monthslong process to come up with a realistic concept for it, Orlando leaders are turning to Orange County to get the memorial over the finish line.
Orlando has committed $7.5 million to the memorial’s design and construction costs in addition to funds used to purchase land adjacent to the nightclub’s site. However, city leaders estimate the actual cost to be approximately $12 million.
In a memo dated March 10, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer formally asked Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings for $5 million to cover the gap.
“Since the tragedy, the city and county have continuously partnered to support the victims’ families and survivors and helped build community resilience,” Dyer wrote. “We hope that the County will continue that spirit of partnership.”
Last month, an Orlando-appointed committee approved the conceptual design for the memorial, which includes a visitor’s center, water wall, reflecting pool and columns representing the 49 men and women who died.
The city’s effort to complete the memorial began after the nonprofit set up to permanently honor the victims, the OnePulse Foundation, fell apart amid accusations of financial mismanagement. At the time of its collapse, OnePulse had also lost the support of many of the victims’ families over its plans to create a large-scale museum about the shooting.
Several commissioners, who reviewed the memo after WFTV alerted them to it, sounded frustrated about the request.
“If we’re going to begin to ask for additional revenue, we need to make sure we have some transparency and accountability for all of our community members and families that we’re so negatively impacted,” said Kelly Semrad, who represents Winter Park and east Orange County. “If this helps push in that direction, I think we have accountability factors that need to be answered.”
Orlando staff members said they were working on responding after WFTV followed up to relay those concerns.
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