Orlando to vote on construction contract for Pulse memorial

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando city leaders are expected to vote Monday on an agreement with Gomez Construction to build a permanent Pulse memorial at the site of the former nightclub.

The vote would mark a major step toward creating a memorial more than 10 years after the tragedy that took the lives of 49 people. The project is intended to honor the people killed in the 2016 attack, their families and other survivors.

Last September, the city agreed to enter into a contract with Gomez Construction to design and build the memorial. Plans shown during a 60% design update include a memorial plaza, private gathering space and indoor exhibit.

Mayor Buddy Dyer said last week that the final design will include a passage from “Sonnet to Orlando,” a poem written and delivered by Lin-Manuel Miranda at the 2016 Tony Awards hours after the shooting.

“They’ve been waiting a long time,” Dyer said. “It’s been over 10 years now, and to have an appropriate place for them to go and mourn and to remember their loved ones is important to me.”

Dyer said the project is in the permitting stage, and he anticipates construction will begin by the end of the year. He said the work is expected to be completed by the end of his term.

Most of the primary funding comes from local government or the state of Florida. Dyer also announced $1.75 million in support from community partners.

“It’s been over the course of the last year or so since we went into design and realized that we’ll probably be a little bit over what the city and the county and the state had put in,” Dyer said. “So, we made some of these companies aware that we would be accepting donations, and they all stepped up.”

The maximum price of the project is $12.6 million. Members of the Orlando City Council will vote on the agreement with Gomez Construction during their meeting Monday at 2 p.m.

An opening date for the memorial has not been announced. Dyer said families will be invited back for a preview, similar to how families were allowed to tour the Pulse nightclub last year before it was demolished.