Latest news with #OnePulseFoundation
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pulse Memorial: Orange County commits $5 million toward permanent site
The Brief Plans for a permanent memorial to the 49 Pulse victims move forward with new county support. Orlando leads the $12M project to honor lives lost in the 2016 mass shooting. Completion is expected by 2027 as officials finalize a joint funding agreement. ORLANDO, Fla. - A permanent memorial honoring the lives lost in the Pulse nightclub shooting is one step closer to reality after Orange County commissioners unanimously approved a $5 million contribution toward the project. What we know A permanent memorial honoring the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting took a major step forward after Orange County commissioners unanimously approved a $5 million contribution. The memorial will be built at the original site of the nightclub, replacing the current interim tribute. The estimated total cost is $12 million, with the City of Orlando providing the majority of funding. What we don't know A final funding agreement between Orange County and the City of Orlando is still pending. It's also unclear if additional fundraising will be needed to cover remaining costs or when construction will officially begin. Specifics on how the design elements — such as the Angel Ellipse and Healing Garden — will be implemented have not been fully released. The backstory The original plans for the memorial were led by the OnePulse Foundation, which dissolved in 2023 amid delays and internal challenges. In response, the City of Orlando took control of the project and created the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee in early 2024 to oversee planning and community engagement. Big picture view The memorial aims to become a national symbol of love, inclusion, and remembrance, offering a space for healing nearly a decade after the tragedy. The Pulse shooting was one of the deadliest in U.S. history, and this permanent memorial has long been sought by survivors, victims' families, and the broader LGBTQ+ community. What they're saying The funding pledge comes as the City of Orlando continues efforts to design and construct the long-awaited tribute on the original site of the 2016 mass shooting. The memorial is projected to cost around $12 million in total, with Orlando covering the majority of the expenses. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings emphasized the importance of the memorial during a commission meeting this week. "The city is putting in the bulk of the money and so, they have not asked us to match what they have put in," Demings said. "They have asked for what is the deficit of funds needed to make this site a reality. Demings added that he hopes this project will offer healing, honor those who were lost, and bring comfort to those who continue to grieve. What's next A formal funding agreement between the city and county is still pending approval and will determine how the $5 million will be distributed. The permanent memorial is anticipated to be completed by 2027. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by the Orange County Commission.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Just stop it': Pulse survivor calls for a boycott of the CommUNITY Rainbow Run
A Pulse survivor is calling on the City of Orlando to put a stop to the CommUNITY Rainbow Run. The event, created a year after the Pulse massacre, was intended to raise funds for the Pulse memorial, but the survivor says the event's intention has changed. 'I'm tired of this. I want them to do their job, and make everybody happy,' said Jorshua N. Hernández-Carrión, who was shot at Pulse in 2016. For almost 10 years, Hernández-Carrión says he's been trying to push for the Pulse Memorial to be built, with no success. 'We wanted the memorial, that's it. Because the city didn't help the survivors, only in 2016,' he said during a Zoom interview because he's now living in Puerto Rico. One year after the massacre, community activists created the CommUNITY Rainbow Run to raise funds for the memorial. However, the foundation has now been dissolved, and the memorial project was taken over by the city. A plan is still in the works, complete with renderings of the memorial that had been approved back in March, although Carrion says survivors and families were left behind. 'A lot of people still need surgery; they need to go to psychiatry, and we have no money,' he said. The survivor has now started a petition to stop the run, claiming the city is turning a tragedy into a celebration and making money on top of it. 'We sent emails to the city, we sent emails to [Mayor] Buddy Dyer, we got no answers,' he said. 'We are families, we are survivors, we have to get a response. If we say we don't want it, we don't want it. They have to stop it.' Family members of victims echoed the same feeling. Belinnete Ocasio lost her brother during the shooting and claims no one from the city or from the former One Pulse Foundation ever reached out to her or her family. 'I try not to stay on top too much because, honestly, it still hurts just thinking about it,' said Ocasio. 'From what I know, that's what it comes down to money. Every event, everything that's regarding pulse, it's always a profit, about money.' The City of Orlando sent the following statement to Channel 9: The CommUNITY Rainbow Run was started by UCF graduate students in 2017 at the one-year mark of the Pulse tragedy. Their vision was to help the community with the healing process, recognizing that running, walking, and spending time with others in a supportive environment can have a positive impact and continue to bring people together. When the City of Orlando purchased the Pulse site in late 2023 and embarked on plans for a permanent memorial, the city heard from victims' families and survivors that the race was meaningful to them and hoped that the city would continue with the event. With this in mind, the city took over the 8th annual event in 2024 and will host the 9th annual event on Saturday, June 7. Channel 9 also reached out to Orlando Health – the run's main sponsor – but has not heard back. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Orlando asks Orange County for millions to fund Pulse memorial
After assuming leadership over creating the Pulse Nightclub shooting memorial and a months-long process to come up with a realistic concept for it, Orlando leaders are turning to Orange County to get the memorial over the finish line. Orlando has committed $7.5 million to the memorial's design and construction costs, in addition to funds used to purchase land adjacent to the nightclub's site. However, city leaders estimate the actual cost to be approximately $12 million. In a memo dated March 10, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer formally asked Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings for $5 million to cover the gap. 'Since the tragedy, the city and county have continuously partnered to support the victims' families and survivors and helped build community resilience,' Dyer wrote. 'We hope that the County will continue that spirit of partnership.' Last month, an Orlando-appointed committee approved the conceptual design for the memorial, which includes a visitor's center, water wall, reflecting pool and columns representing the 49 men and women who died. The city's effort to complete the memorial began after the nonprofit set up to permanently honor the victims, the OnePulse Foundation, fell apart amid accusations of financial mismanagement. At the time of its collapse, OnePulse had also lost the support of many of the victims' families over its plans to create a large-scale museum about the shooting. Orange County leaders did not have an immediate reaction to Orlando's request. They said a statement would be sent out later Wednesday. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
