Florida leaders react to three-year mark of Pulse shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. –      Wednesday, June 12, marks three years since the attack at Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead and dozens of others wounded. Central Florida leaders are offering words of condolences and remembrance Wednesday.

      U.S. Sen. Rick Scott honored the victims on the Senate floor Wednesday.
   

      “Three years ago, our state was changed forever,” he wrote on Twitter. “We vow to remember the beautiful lives taken too soon and to stand up against those that wish to harm us.”

     Scott sounded off on social media recognizing the impact the attack had on certain Florida communities.

      “It was an attack on America, on our state, our city, our Hispanic and gay communities. 49 innocent and beautiful lives were taken. Every year on this day, FL stands united with heavy hearts as we honor the victims,” he wrote.

     Gov. Ron Desantis posted a similar message on Twitter, ordering flags to be lowered to half-staff.

     Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody described the attack as horrific, asking her constituents to mourn the 49 lives lost and pray for everyone whose lives were altered by the shooting.

    U.S. Rep. Val Demings issued a statement she read on the floor.

     “Today we remember the victims, but their story did not end in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016. The Pulse Nightclub was a safe space, where people could go for what my Bishop called a ‘late-night fellowship,” she said. 

    The congresswoman asked everyone to not let the incident define the lives of the victims or the survivors, but to recognize them for the lives they lived.

     “I believe as I did then that Orlando is strong, and that we can weather any storm, so long as we do it together," she said. "I believe that together, we can build a community where no survivor is left behind, and where we, as a nation, make gun violence reduction a top priority.”