The Orlando City Council approved funding agreements and a contract to design and build a permanent memorial at the Pulse nightclub site, directing staff to move forward with design and construction management.

The action matters because the memorial will occupy a high-profile downtown site where a mass shooting occurred in 2016; the council and county are funding the work and a private foundation’s earlier efforts had stalled. Mayor Buddy Dyer said the city expects the design to take about nine months and construction to begin next summer.

At the Sept. meeting the council approved consent items that included a $5 million contribution from Orange County and a city allocation that council members described as $7 million, and the award of a contract to Gomez Construction to complete design and oversee construction. Commissioner Tony Ortiz made the motion on the consent agenda to approve the slate of items; Commissioner Robert Stewart seconded the motion and the consent agenda passed.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who led the council’s remarks on the project, described the pact with Orange County and said the county is expected to take its agreement to the county commission later this month. “We need to do the right thing by these families to build a memorial place,” Sheehan said during remarks recorded on the agenda.

Sheehan also drew a distinction between earlier private fundraising efforts and the city’s current plan. She said the 1 Orlando Fund raised money for victims and families, while a private 1 Pulse Foundation later formed, “they were the ones that wasted all their money and never got anything done,” Sheehan said; the city acquired the foundation’s assets last year and council members said the city is now moving the site toward a permanent memorial.

Council members and staff emphasized the schedule and sources of funding. Mayor Dyer said design is expected to take about nine months and that construction would begin the following summer; he thanked the advisory committee representing families and survivors. City staff and a county representative are expected to finalize the intergovernmental funding agreement at the county level.

The council’s vote on the items was taken as part of the consent agenda; no separate roll-call on the memorial items was recorded in the public hearing portion of the meeting. The design timeline and the county’s formal vote are the next public steps.

For details about the county’s consideration of its contribution and the contract with Gomez Construction, contact the City of Orlando or Orange County staff assigned to the memorial project.