Orlando puts Pulse club under contract for $2.25M

The Pulse nightclub in Orlando (Source: OrlandoWeekly.com)
The Pulse nightclub in Orlando (Source: OrlandoWeekly.com)

The City of Orlando has a contract to pay $2.25 million for the Pulse nightclub to memorialize the site of a mass shooting in June that left 49 people dead and dozens wounded. Rosario Poma, who owns the 4,500-square-foot property with his wife Barbara, signed the sale contract, which is subject to approval by the Orlando City Council. City staff negotiated the sale price, which is 36 percent above the $1.65 million appraised value of the nightclub.

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Now surrounded by a barrier, the property has been closed since the June 12 massacre yet draws a large number of visitors who have left flowers, signs and other items there. Among other options, the city has considered building a memorial and keeping the Pulse property and its iconic sign completely intact. Pulse opened in 2004 and became an Orlando landmark in the gay community. The mass shooting there was the deadliest in U.S. history. [Orlando Sentinel]  — Mike Seemuth