ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando has completed talks with the owner of the Pulse nightclub to purchase the property for $2.25 million and turn it into a memorial for the people who lost their lives there on June 12.
The South Orange Avenue property has been a de facto memorial since the attack, when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire in the Florida club, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others.
Flowers, notes, candles, stuffed animals and thousands of other items have been left at and around the Pulse nightclub since the attack, and now the city plans to make it a permanent memorial.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's press secretary Cassandra Anne Lafser told WFTV on Tuesday morning that the deal was in place for the city to buy Pulse.
The purchase agreement will first have to go before the city council during its meeting Monday, she said.
No design plans for the coming memorial have been released.
Dyer said the property will likely stay as-is for 12 to 18 months.
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