Nine years later, Orlando leaders will gather with survivors and the family of victims to reflect on the way the community changed after a gunman killed 49 mostly queer and Latine people.
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A shooting in Orlando would go down as the deadliest attack victimizing the LGBTQ+ community in U.S. history. But the morning of June 12, 2016, Pulse was just a gay nightclub in Central Florida.
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Nine years later, Orlando leaders will gather with survivors and the family of victims to reflect on the way the community changed after a gunman killed 49 mostly queer and Latine people, then died in a standoff with law enforcement.
"Although nine years have passed, it remains so important that our community continues to remember the 49 lives taken and offer love and hope to their families and the survivors. One of the most important ways that we can honor the legacy of the victims is by working to ensure that Orlando remains welcoming for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “I remain proud that Orlando is still showing the power of unity and compassion."
A number of those directly impacted walked through the club all this week, the first time since the tragedy most have been back inside. The FBI announced last week it would take victims of the shooting through the building. It will likely be the last walkthrough for most, as city officials prepare to tear down the venue and instead begin work on a long-delayed memorial.
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Related: Brandon Wolf won’t return to Orlando’s Pulse nightclub where he survived the murder of friends who never left
The city took over the site of the club in 2023, after the now-shuttered onePULSE Foundation canceled plans for a museum on the land. While the millions spent with the foundation led to bitter and lingering divisions in the community, the plan for a more passive tribute, including a reflecting pool and 49 canopy columns honoring victims of the attack, has garnered more public support.
Orange County last week voted to provide $5 million for the project. Additionally, the Florida Legislature just agreed to chip in at least $394,000. City officials estimate the entire project will cost $12 million to complete.
Another memorial, at Colonialtown Square Park, already exists. But this new memorial will be grander in scale and at the site of the shooting itself.
For years, survivors and loved ones of those killed have visited and hung personal tributes at a temporary memorial established by the defunct foundation. That tribute, mostly photographs of vigils and events after the shooting, wasn’t supposed to stand for nearly a decade, but remains on the nine-year anniversary of the tragedy.
At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening, a ceremony will be held at First United Methodist Church of Orlando, attended by Dyer and other city officials, including first responders who were at the attack. That event will be livestreamed by the city.
But other struggles continue to haunt victims more than nine years after the attack. New photos released by the city in March raised new questions about the accessibility and response to the shooting.
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