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2w ago

Pulse Survivors and Families Tour Orlando Nightclub Ahead of Memorial

Tours mark a step in healing ahead of this year’s demolition, preceding construction of a $12 million memorial

FILE - A visitor looks over a display with the photos and names of the 49 victims that died at the Pulse nightclub memorial, June 11, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)
Image
The 49 victims of the 2016 massacre. (Twitter)
José Luís, a close friend of Pulse nightclub shooting victim Edward Sotomayor, Jr., wipes tears while visiting the site in Orlando on the eve of the mass shooting’s 9th anniversary, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Sotomayor was one of the first victims identified after the Orlando massacre that killed 49 in 2016. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Overview

  • Around 250 survivors and family members are taking 30-minute guided tours of the shuttered Pulse nightclub in small groups over four days
  • The visits coincide with the ninth anniversary of Omar Mateen’s June 12, 2016, attack that claimed 49 lives and wounded 53 others
  • Attendees can question FBI agents who investigated the massacre and access on-site mental health counseling during the walkthroughs
  • Orlando purchased the property for $2 million in 2023 and plans to raze the building this year ahead of a memorial opening in 2027
  • A private effort by the onePulse Foundation faltered in 2023, prompting the city to lead the $12 million memorial project