ORLANDO, Fla. — An emotional day ahead for many across Central Florida, and even outside of it, as the city of Orlando moves to demolish Pulse nightclub.

The building has remained frozen in its place since the 2016 mass shooting, serving as a temporary gathering place to mourn those we lost; until now.

What You Need To Know

Demolition of the Pulse nightclub begins around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18

Construction for a permanent memorial is scheduled for September 2026, with a completion goal for next fall, 2027

Survivors and loved ones of victims say they have been waiting for the day when the nightclub would come down, in hopes of a proper place to honor the lives lost going up in its place

Officials will first drench the building in water to keep down as much dust residue as possible

Many of the members on the Pulse advisory committee, which included loved ones and survivors of the shooting, wanted to see the physical building gone — and since learning that it will be, the consensus has been bittersweet.

One survivor previously explained that while the site is now a reminder of a tragic time in Orlando, it used to represent more than that — a place of fun and community.

However, in just a little over a year, city officials have taken over plans to provide the permanent memorial, and work has moved quickly.

For more than 9 years, the idea of a memorial has been a conversation, but now plans to clear the site where Pulse nightclub has stood for so many years, has drawn onlookers to visit the site before it’s gone.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer apologized for the process taking so long, and shared that while he knows a permanent memorial will not absolve what happened, he’s hoping it at least leads the way for people to begin healing as he too wrestles with the dark time.

“I remember that very vividly, getting the calls shortly after 2 o’clock and then being on site through the remainder of the morning,” he said during a briefing earlier in the week. “Just the sadness of it all. 49 lives extinguished that night for no reason at all.”

There are still some mixed feelings regarding the permanent memorial design plans and whether they truly represent the desires of those more directly involved. The city only has about 30% of the design plan completed and provided an update on it a few weeks ago. As that process continues, we’ll keep you updated on the latest developments.

Contractors arrived on site a little before 7 a.m. and began wetting the building to keep dust residue down.

The demolition process is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon, with the entire process set to last weeks as officials remove the debris.

Construction on the memorial will begin in September, with the goal of completing the permanent memorial by fall of next year.