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Survivors and Families Revisit Pulse Nightclub Ahead of Demolition

Private walkthroughs provide a final glimpse of the shuttered site prior to its replacement with a memorial slated to open in 2027

FILE - The former Pulse Nightclub —the site of the 2016 mass shooting that killed 49 patrons— sits south of downtown Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)
Hundreds of flowers and tributes to those killed in the Pulse Nightclub shooting. (Getty)
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)
A visitor views photos at the Pulse Interim Memorial in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2023 — the seventh anniversary of the date when a gunman opened fire on the crowd at the Pulse nightclub, killing 49 people.

Overview

  • Around 250 survivors and relatives are taking half-hour tours of the closed club in small groups over four days
  • FBI agents and mental health counselors are onsite to answer questions and offer support during the visits
  • The city of Orlando acquired the property in 2023 for $2 million following the collapse of a private memorial foundation
  • The existing structure will be razed later this year to make way for a $12 million permanent memorial scheduled to open in 2027
  • Some survivors, including national press secretary Brandon Wolf, have opted out of tours due to the emotional difficulty of revisiting the site