As the city of Orlando proceeds with a permanent memorial to honor the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, one crucial step is the building's removal. A demolition date hasn't been revealed, but the city will give survivors and victims' families the opportunity to visit the interior of the site one last time.
Visits will start June 12, which marks nine years since the tragedy, and run until June 14. Applications are just for these survivors and families – the general public and media will not be allowed in the building. The city confirmed it has explored the possibility of hiring security to ensure visitors' privacy.
So far, city officials said about 30 people have reached out to request a site visit. A maximum of six family members are allowed per victim, and survivors may bring one support person. Applicants have until May 8 to submit their RSVP.
The city promised it would take precautions to help with the weight and intensity of emotion that come in the process. Orlando outreach and engagement coordinator Donna Wyche said the city is focused on the well-being of those who opt for the visit.
Orlando looked to other mass shooting site visits for its planning, such as when victims' families from the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland walked through the site years later.
"We still got a lot of work to do, but we think we're well prepared," she said.
The city's letter to eligible visitors said scheduling priority will be given to families of the 49 victims. Wyche said she and the city were taking every step to minimize outside stressors.
Anyone younger than 18 will not be allowed inside, and both mental health and spiritual care support will be offered. Survivors and families can also choose to bring their own mental health or spiritual figure.
Transportation will be provided to and from the former nightclub. Wyche said along with avoiding the potential danger of driving while feeling intense emotion, the city's transportation will ensure a private, streamlined experience.
And, no photography is allowed inside the building to prevent inadvertent emotional trauma from others potentially coming across the image.
Groups will cap out at 15 members at a time, which Wyche hoped would be small enough to stay private but large enough to provide adequate group support throughout the visit. Still, she noted that the process will never be perfect. "It's not closure. The memories of this and what they experienced will never be closed."
The city said it is safe to enter the building, but they've heard concerns from potential visitors about the safety of the trip. Others want nothing to do with a return to the site. Bullet holes and breaches to the wall still remain.
"There are families who have not been engaged with us at all, and that's okay. That's okay because people need to do what helps them most," Wyche said. "How they heal – how they work through the process of grief is a very individual thing."
Brett Rigas, a member of the Pulse Advisory Committee, will once again visit the site with open arms. Rigas was at Pulse on the night of the shooting, and he lost his partner during the attack. He hoped the memories of the night and the planned permanent memorial will prevent the community from seeing a similar attack in the future.
It's a thought that has echoed through his mind for the last nine years, as failed efforts from the onePULSE Foundation to build a memorial and museum delayed the process. In the hands of the city since late 2023, the next step is to pick a design-build firm for the memorial.
The selection process is set to end summer 2025, and the memorial is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027.
Rigas looked forward to the visit and an eventual walk through the memorial. But he said the building's eventual removal could be a sight better left unseen for some families and survivors.
"It'll be like watching an execution," he said.
For members of the public who want to honor the victims and survivors, the city will also host a Day of Remembrance event June 12.
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