Orlando presents conceptual plan, timeline and funding framework for permanent Pulse memorial

ORLANDO, Fla. — City staff on Feb. 24 presented a consensus conceptual design, schedule and initial funding framework for a permanent memorial at the Pulse nightclub site, and said the City of Orlando will release a design-build request for proposals (RFP) next week.

The plan, developed with input from an 18-member Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee, centers on an “Angel Ellipse” surrounding the original building footprint, a reflection pool and a visitor pavilion. Heather Fagan, chief of staff to Mayor Buddy Dyer, told the council the city has committed $7,500,000 to design and construction and that Mayor Dyer directed staff to set a total RFP budget of $12,000,000 to attract a design-build team and allow for outside funding discussions.

The conceptual design matters because it sets the physical, cultural and funding direction for a memorial to the 49 people killed on June 12, 2016. The city purchased the Pulse site in October 2023 and staff said completing a permanent memorial is intended to support long-term remembrance and community healing.

Design elements and public input

Designers from Baker Barrios and Catalyst Design presented a site organized around a paved footprint that respects the footprint of the nightclub, a covered walkway they call the Angel Ellipse and a visitor pavilion inside the enlarged property footprint. Wade Wayne Dunkelberger, chief design officer with Baker Barrios, and Jay Hood, senior landscape architect with Catalyst Design, described a sequence of visitor zones: a parking plaza and visitor pavilion with interpretive exhibits; a Survivor’s Common for family gatherings; a Healing Garden; the Angel Ellipse with 49 columns representing those killed; and a central memorial court with a shallow reflection pool and a water or tribute wall.

Designers and committee members said the plan reflects months of engagement. “We held 10 focus groups in Spanish and in English, both virtual and in person,” Donna Weish, the city liaison to the memorial committee and former Orange County mental health division manager, said. The committee expanded public comment from three to five minutes to allow families and survivors more time to speak, and the city used an online engagement platform (Engage Orlando and pulseorlando.org) and bilingual outreach to solicit input.

Unresolved preservation question

A principal unresolved issue is how to treat the existing Pulse building. The conceptual package includes two options: preserve and interpret portions of the breached wall that remain on-site or remove the building and use a sculptural obelisk or portal to mark the site. Designers said preservation would require ongoing, potentially costly treatment and that mental health consultants cautioned about the traumatic effects of leaving the wall in place. The city and the design-build team will refine that choice in future design phases.

Technology and interpretation

Staff also described a plan to digitally preserve the building through LiDAR scanning so the structure can be viewed online and inside the visitor pavilion, while the physical treatment of the site can proceed. The design envisions 24/7 public access to the memorial spaces (not including the staffed visitor pavilion), nighttime lighting, CCTV for security, event power and the potential for site audio or music programs.

Timeline, procurement and funding

City staff said they will release a design-build RFP next week and extend the solicitation period to 90 days to encourage broad participation. Rankings and a recommended contract are expected to come to council this summer; staff estimated design work could begin next summer with construction starting in summer 2026 and completion in the second half of 2027.

No detailed cost estimate was produced as part of the conceptual design phase, the presentation said, but the committee and designers were informed of the city’s $7.5 million commitment and instructed to minimize long-term maintenance costs. Fagan said the mayor directed staff to set a $12,000,000 budget in the RFP to reflect those considerations and to accommodate additional public or private funding.

Fagan also said state lawmakers who represent the site — Representative Anna Eskamani in the House and Senator Travis Hutson Smith in the Senate (recognized in the presentation as delegation sponsors) — are pursuing reallocation of approximately $400,000 that had been appropriated to the dissolved OnePulse Foundation in 2019 and returned to state control. City staff described ongoing conversations with other potential public and private partners.

Property and next steps

The conceptual design assumes acquisition of an adjacent parcel that a local businessman purchased from the dissolved OnePulse Foundation to preserve it for possible city use; staff said they expect to bring a purchase agreement for that parcel to council this summer at the price the businessman paid. Staff also committed to reconvening the advisory committee at key 30–60% design milestones and to keep families and survivors informed.

Reaction from council and committee

Commissioner Sheehan praised city staff and the committee’s bilingual outreach and urged the memorial remain free and noncommercial. “There should be no admission fee for this. There should be no perception of any profit for anyone,” Commissioner Sheehan said during the workshop.

The advisory committee, designers and facilitators such as Dr. Larry Schueller (Public Participation Partners) and Rafael Montalvo were credited for outreach and community engagement. Designers said the materials presented will form the basis of a design control document that will be included in the RFP package.

What remains

City staff listed several items for further work: resolving whether to preserve any portion of the existing building, final decisions on how and where to place the 49 names, detailed cost estimating, parking and streetscape refinements on Esther Street, and development of the RFP selection criteria. Staff also noted that a design-build team will further evaluate preservation and technical issues and return to the committee and council as the design advances.

The council received the presentation and staff said they will take questions and return with procurement items and a potential contract award this summer.