ORLANDO, Fla. — With hundreds of thousands of people in Orlando for the Come Out With Pride festival last weekend, and many expected to gather in the downtown entertainment district for Halloween, safety is top of mind for downtown business owners.
What You Need To Know
A shooting in the downtown Orlando entertainment district on Halloween weekend in 2024 left two people dead, and several others injured
In the days after the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, Michael Vacirca worked directly with Pulse victims and others closely affected by the tragedy through The Center Orlando
Vacirca decided to open up Anthem Orlando, a nightclub in downtown Orlando, to create an LGBTQ+ presence in the downtown entertainment district
Vacirca said he has built in several safety measures into the nightclub, including the ability to evacuate the entire venue in 15 seconds
A shooting in the downtown Orlando entertainment district on Halloween weekend in 2024 left two people dead, and several others injured.
The owner of Anthem Orlando says safety is the top priority. Michael Vacirca is still setting up equipment, testing the lights and working on other finishing details at the club, which is continuing its soft open. The business opened up in time for the festival.
“I think we were finishing the bathrooms and flushing the toilets for the first time as people were walking in the front door,” said Vacirca.
In the days after the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, Vacirca worked directly with Pulse victims and others closely affected by the tragedy through The Center Orlando.
“I hope we never have to go through something like that again as a community,” said Vacirca.
Along with wanting to open up a new space for the LGBTQ+ community to gather, Vacirca said he also wanted to create a space that would be safe.
“Anthem is a rallying cry for our community to bring us back together to say, ‘We’re here,’” said Vacirca.
Vacirca said he specifically chose to put the club in the heart of downtown Orlando to create an LGBTQ+ presence there, but he knows the safety concerns patrons could have there. He said several safety measures were built into the new venue.
“We can evacuate the entire building within 15 seconds,” said Vacirca. “(We) put in a bunch of advanced screening technologies at our front door, we have licensed security professionals that are available and at our doors.”
He said he’ll be working closely with the city and the Orlando Police Department to maintain safety. He said he hopes fear of what could happen won’t stop people from enjoying the nightclub. It’s a space he said some have already said they’re thankful for.
“We had some patrons leave with tears in their eyes, and when I spoke with them afterwards, they said we didn’t realize how much we were missing – sorry, I’m getting a little emotional myself – we didn’t realize how much we were missing that connection, that space, that place where we feel we belong,” said Vacirca.
For several weeks, Spectrum News 13 has reached out to the city of Orlando and the Orlando Police Department for more specifics as to what safety measures are planned for Halloween weekend, but so far neither has released any information about that.
City Commissioner Shan Rose did tell Spectrum News 13 police do plan on blocking off part of Orange Avenue in downtown on Halloween weekend.