ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS12) — A decade later, the early morning massacre at Pulse still cuts through Central Florida—49 lives lost in minutes that reshaped Orlando and echoed across LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities worldwide.
The City of Orlando is hosting a series of deeply collaborative remembrance events to honor the victims, support the survivors, and stand alongside the families whose lives were altered a decade ago.
A Week of Collective Remembrance
Outside Orlando City Hall, colorful prayer ribbons sent from the Provincetown Community Compact in Massachusetts wave in the wind, continuing an annual tradition of bringing global messages of support directly to the heart of the city.
The week’s events culminate on Friday with the official Pulse Remembrance Ceremony at the First United Methodist Church in Downtown Orlando. The evening of reflection features a lighting of the Pulse Memorial Site, a reading of the 49 names, and musical performances from local cultural artists, including the Orlando Gay Chorus.
Local officials emphasized that the passing of ten years has not dulled the city’s commitment to keeping the memory of the victims alive. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer reflected on the solemn milestone:
This is obviously one of the tough weeks out of the year for everybody here in Orlando, and June 12th remains one of the most difficult days in Orlando’s history. As we mark 10 years from the Pulse tragedy, we continue to honor the 49 angels, support the survivors, and stand with the families that have been forever impacted. 10 years later, Orlando continues to demonstrate the love and compassion and unity that emerged in the aftermath of 2016.
Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan echoed the need for continued vigilance and community solidarity:
I know it’s been 10 years, but I want us to say let’s, let’s keep that momentum going for the next 10 years because it’s so important to honor their memory and it’s so important for us to include the arts, to do these things that bring us all together.
Other citywide events marking the decade include the annual 4.9k CommUNITY Rainbow Run, a Day of Remembrance Blood Drive with OneBlood, and the “Created in Community: Portraits of Pulse” art exhibition at the Terrace Gallery, showcasing 49 portraits hand-painted by victims’ families, friends, and community members.
Progress on the Permanent Memorial
While permanent spaces like the Colonialtown Square Park Labyrinth currently offer a place for reflection, the City of Orlando is reportedly steadily moving forward on the official, permanent Pulse Memorial project.
Though the physical nightclub building was safely dismantled in March, the design phase for the permanent site has reached 60 percent completion, with an opening slated for 2027. Project leaders revealed that the final design integrates the original club’s structural components to preserve the site’s sanctity.
Renderings of the memorial. (WKMG)
“There are many family members that did not want the building demolished because their child had died there and they felt like their soul was there,” Jorge Borrelli, President of Borrelli + Partners, told ClickOrlando. “We were able to preserve that and keep the building on the site.”
The memorial will also feature protective capsules displaying personal artifacts belonging to the victims, allowing loved ones and visitors to form a tangible connection with the lives lost.
“In a very symbolic way… This is where you can come to be surrounded by the angels,” Project Manager Dan-Michael Trbovich explained to ClickOrlando. This setup, he noted, “allows the visitor, particularly those that are still going through the grieving process, to commune with that in that space and reflect back out, looking and seeing the survivors beyond this tragic site.”
Renderings of the memorial. (WKMG)
Construction on the permanent memorial site is scheduled to begin this September. Through the coming days, the Pulse Memorial site will remain quietly illuminated from dusk until dawn as a visual tribute to a decade of resilience, unity, and enduring love.
On Friday, the community honors the 49 lives lost:
Stanley Almodovar III, 23Amanda Alvear, 25Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21Martin Benitez Torres, 33Antonio D. Brown, 30Darryl R. Burt II, 29Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, 31Juan Chavez-Martinez, 25Luis D. Conde, 39Cory J. Connell, 21Tevin E. Crosby, 25Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50Deonka D. Drayton, 32Mercedez M. Flores, 26Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22Juan R. Guerrero, 22Paul T. Henry, 41Frank Hernandez, 27Miguel A. Honorato, 30Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40Jason B. Josaphat, 19Eddie J. Justice, 30Anthony L. Laureano Disla, 25Christopher A. Leinonen, 32Brenda L. Marquez McCool, 49Jean C. Mendez Perez, 35Akyra Monet Murray, 18Kimberly Morris, 37Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, 20Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24Christopher J. Sanfeliz, 24Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34Shane E. Tomlinson, 33Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25Luis S. Vielma, 22Jerald Arthur Wright, 31Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27
For more information on events, visit PulseOrlando.org.