ORLANDO, Fla. – The onePulse Foundation on Friday announced it was no longer planning to build a museum to honor the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, and will give the land back to Orange County.
In a letter to the county, Chairman Earl Crittenden said modifications to the original plans were not enough to save the museum project, and asked that the county terminate the agreement it had with the foundation.
“Our dreams to create and change the narrative that the events of June 12, 2016, not be the last word in Orlando and Orange County, is one we remain hopeful will be realized by the region’s resilient community,” Crittenden wrote.
Crittenden announced his resignation as foundation chairman on Thursday. His last day will be Oct. 31.
The foundation had planned to build a towering museum near the nightclub, along with a pathway to the club where a memorial would be. There would also be pathways and gardens. It was touted as a transformative project for the area. The design was unveiled in 2019. The cost for the project: $45 million.
In 2018, the Orange County Commission approved a $10 million grant to onePulse Foundation toward the project. The money came from the tourist development tax. The county, however, did not give the foundation all of the money at once.
The foundation used $3.5 million to buy a 1.7-acre piece of property off Kaley Street for the museum.
Another $3 million was used for design services which was paid to the foundation between 2019 and 2023. The county has the rest of the money.
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But the foundation said the pandemic and soaring construction costs forced them to make changes to their plan. A smaller museum was planned on Kaley Street, but onePulse would no longer build a memorial on the Pulse site, citing issues with the site owners.
The foundation said that the smaller museum project is now not happening.
“Everybody had great intentions, but at this point, we’ve come to the reality that the financial capability to execute their plan simply does not exist today,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings told News 6 Friday.
The county said it could sell the Kaley Street property and get that money back, but it will not be able to recoup the $3 million spent on design services. The remaining $3.5 million from the original $10 million given to onePulse will stay in the TDT reserves.
Demings said he would schedule a meeting with commissioners to provide an update and discuss what to do next.
“It’s all going to be something we discuss going forward into the future,” Demings said. ”The land is valuable. It has a certain value, and more than likely it’s going to be more valuable today than when we started this process going back probably 6 years or so.”
Demings held a closed-door meeting with onePulse officials Friday.
“We had the conversation about the potential dissolution of the onePulse Foundation, but again, that’s not a decision I make. That’s a decision they have to make, and I don’t know if they have the wherewithal to repay 100% of what has been spent,” Demings said.
Meanwhile, District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe said that she’s looking for answers about how onePulse spent its money.
“I wanna know what’s happened to those funds. How’d those funds get spent? What’s left, if any?” she asked. “We really need some accountability.”
Uribe added that the families of those who died in the Pulse nightclub shooting deserve answers, as well.
“I feel for you. I agree this has been way too long,” she said in a message to those families. “You have suffered enough. You continue to suffer to not see anything permanent established.”
Pulse survivor Orlando Torres mirrored those sentiments, criticizing members of the onePulse Foundation.
“Nothing has been done,” he said. “What are they doing? They’re getting paid, and they’re selling a dream and not even (coming) close.”
The developments with the museum are separate from the decision by the city of Orlando to purchase the Pulse nightclub property.
The city closed the $2 million sale with the former owners on Friday. The city council approved the purchase earlier this week.
While there are no official plans yet, the site will be used for a permanent memorial to the victims of the 2016 shooting.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said the decision to buy the property on Orange Avenue was made after talking to families of the victims and supporters who were upset with the way the onePulse Foundation was handling memorial plans. Dyer said many of them told him they preferred the permanent memorial to stay on the Pulse site.
Dyer said the city will involve the survivors and the victims’ families in any future plans.
“We’re taking a deep breath right now and reflecting and making sure we move forward in a very prudent manner,” Dyer said.
Several years ago, the city offered $2.2 million to Pulse owner Barbara Poma, however, she declined the sale and instead continued fundraising for her organization, onePulse. In April, the foundation said she stepped down from her position.
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