ORLANDO, Fla. – The city of Orlando is forming an advisory committee to help create the city’s permanent memorial to the victims of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, and you can apply to be a member.
An online application is available in English and Spanish on the Pulse Orlando website. The deadline to apply online is June 23, or you can mail in the application, which must be postmarked by June 21.
Officials are looking for a broad group of people who were affected by the tragedy, directly and indirectly, as well as experts in engineering and design.
“At every step, we anticipate a committee of approximately 10 to 15 members to ensure that we include a multitude of perspectives,” said Dr. Larry Schooler, who is spearheading the initiative. “We are very much hoping to find a number of family members to be part of this committee, as well as survivors. We believe that their participation is crucial to this endeavor. We also hope to find others directly impacted by the Pulse tragedy, such as first responders and former Pulse employees and the like.”
One thing the group will decide is whether to keep the original Pulse nightclub building in some form as part of the memorial, or whether to demolish it. The city said that is crucial to deciding how to move forward.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any sort of clear consensus, one way or the other on the building,” Schooler said. “I think that’s one of the things that the committee has to evaluate in a holistic way. My hope is that at their first meeting, they’re not necessarily jumping right into that topic, but they’re thinking about, ‘What are we trying to accomplish with this memorial,’ which will then help them to answer questions about the building.”
Dyer also said that funding will also be a crucial piece because right now there is no money set aside for the memorial and no money left from the onePulse Foundation, the original group that oversaw the project.
“So we envision that there will be a combination of funds that are raised and probably some additional public funding, primarily probably from the city of Orlando, I would guess,” Dyer said. “But (we’ll) invite other governments, if they so choose to participate with us. We’re not going to turn down anybody’s money, but it’s hard for us to go out and ask for private donations until we’ve come up conceptually with what it is that we’re going to build there.”
In the meantime, the city is also planning a series of events to honor the memory of the 49 victims starting this weekend.
The Annual CommUNITY Rainbow Run is Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Orlando City Hall Plaza.
The City Hall Plaza is also where the Prayer Ribbons Memorial Exhibition will be displayed from Monday, June 10 through June 16.
Then on June 12, a remembrance ceremony at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts will mark eight years since the tragedy.
For other events, head to the Pulse Orlando website.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: