ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS12) — Under a bright Wednesday morning sky, crews carefully detached the iconic Pulse nightclub sign from its post along South Orange Avenue — a symbolic first step toward demolishing what remains of the site where 49 people were killed and more than 50 others wounded in the 2016 mass shooting.
“This is a preservation today, and then there’s a demolition coming next week,” Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said as workers lowered the sign, which for nearly a decade stood as a somber reminder of the tragedy.
For survivor Orlando Torres, watching the sign come down carried a complex mix of emotions.
“It was a place to look forward to enjoyment and dancing,” he said. “That’s all they did — come out and dance, not to hurt anybody or get shot.”
On March 11, 2026, the City of Orlando removed the Pulse nightclub sign on South Orange Avenue as officials and survivors—including Orlando Torres—prepare for next week’s demolition of the site to move forward with creating a long‑delayed permanent memorial honoring the 49 lives lost in the 2016 shooting. (CNN Newsource)
Torres was inside Pulse in the early hours of June 12, 2016, when gunfire erupted. He hid in a restroom for nearly three and a half hours as SWAT teams worked to rescue those trapped inside.
“I’m one of the Pulse survivors that was nearly 3.5 hours in the restroom waiting to get saved,” he recalled.
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Torres, who recently moved back to Orlando, said the removal of the sign felt overdue. “We felt like we were sentenced for 10 years of agony, disappointments, and delays,” he said.
The City of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in October 2023 for $2 million, taking over the effort to create a permanent memorial after repeated setbacks and controversy surrounding the OnePULSE Foundation. Sheehan said the city’s move is about restoring trust and moving forward.
“I’m not happy that millions of dollars are missing and nobody knows where it went,” Sheehan said. “I think part of the acceptance is tearing this down and moving forward with the construction.”
Designs for the future memorial envision a tranquil space for healing, reflection, and remembrance — a private place where survivors, victims’ families, and the broader community can honor the 49 lives lost. “It’s deserving to have something more private somewhere that we can pray and show our respects,” Torres said.
Demolition of the nightclub structure is expected to begin next week as the city moves ahead with plans for the permanent memorial.