ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando community is one step closer to seeing what the permanent Pulse memorial could look like.

Any firm that is interested in designing or constructing the site has until 2 p.m. on Thursday to submit a proposal.

What You Need To Know

  • Thursday, May 29, is the deadline for design contractors to submit proposals for a permanent Pulse memorial

  • This comes after months of Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee meetings where survivors and family members determined a conceptual design for the memorial

  • Following the deadline, submissions will go before a committee of experts who will rank the contracting firms before going to the city council for approval

  • The selected firm will be responsible for the design and construction of the memorial, slated to be completed by the end of 2027

The deadline is significant because it comes after several months of Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee meetings to determine a conceptual design for the memorial. 

On March 3, the city issued a request for proposals for a contractor to help design and build the concept.

The chosen firm will take the conceptual design and related documents that were decided upon by committee members and essentially bring them to life. 

Dyer says the selection process is a “standard process, standard procurement process.”

He said, “in this case, it won’t be determined by price. Some are just the lowest cost, but in this case, we’ll select the one that looks like it presented the best proposal.”

The best proposal will have to incorporate many of the elements from the Pulse Memorial Conceptual Design, which were thoroughly discussed by committee members over the course of eight months.

The Pulse Memorial Conceptual Design includes:

  • A memorial and reflection space: Formed by the footprint of the original Pulse building

  • A survivor’s commons or survivor’s tribute wall positioned in a landscape that will include a seating area next to a survivor’s tree

  • Private gathering space that will consist of a quiet space for personal reflection and an “angel personal effects capsule” where families can leave flowers, tie banners and place personal mementos of their fallen angel

  • Angel elliptical site: An accessible elliptical walkway with 49 canopy feature columns honoring the 49 victims with rainbow color glass panels

  • A reflection pool, positioned where the dance floor was, symbolizing peace and remembrance

  • A healing garden and prism garden designed to represent hope and healing

  • A visitor pavilion intended as a welcoming space that includes public accommodations, limited exhibition space and indoor gathering space

It’s a positive step in the right direction that Dyer says he’s looking forward to.

“I’m hoping there’s closure. It’ll be past the 10-year mark that we finally get a memorial done. The city’s only been involved in this for a little more than a year and a half. I guess after the foundation failed to get it done, but it’s critically important to our community that we finish this memorial,” he said.  

Following this deadline, the submissions will go before a committee of experts who will rank the firms.

Then those final rankings which are expected in summer 2025 will go before Orlando City Council for approval.

The firm that is selected is also responsible for the construction of the memorial, which is projected to be completed by the end of 2027.

The memorial is to honor the 49 people who were killed, and the dozens injured in the shooting terror attack by Omar Mateen in July 2016.