The Pulse nightclub owner in Orlando has backed out to a plan to sell the property to the city.
Barbara Poma said during a news conference with reporters that she could not bring herself to sell the property where a gunman killed 49 people and injured dozens more doing a terrorist rampage on June 12, the Orlando Sentinel reported Monday
City council had been contemplating a vote to purchase the property for $2.5 million where the city had hoped to build a permanent memorial.
"This decision truly came just from my heart and my passion for Pulse, and everything it's meant to me and my family for the last 12 years since its inception," Poma said at the news conference, according to the Sentinel. "So I think the struggle was you know, letting it go, and it's just something I could not come to grips with."
Some city commissioners had balked at the purchase price of the property, pointing out that the land appraisal of the club was $1.7 million, leading to charges that Poma was capitalizing on the tragedy, WFTV reported.
"It's their property," said Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer, according to WFTV.
The Sentinel wrote that his staff helped broker the sale's price. "So I don’t have any qualms with them taking whatever necessary steps it is to do something on a more permanent basis there."
Poma had raised money under the nonprofit onePULSE Foundation, according to the Orlando Sentinel. While the bulk of that money will go to the National Compassion Fund for victims, 10 percent was slated to create a permanent memorial at the club.
"Pulse means so very much to my family and to our community, and I can't just walk away," Poma said in a statement, noted WFTV. "I feel a personal obligation to ensure that a permanent space at Pulse be created so that all generations to come will remember those affected by, and taken on, June 12.
"I intend to create a space for everyone, a sanctuary of hope and a welcoming area to remember all those affected by the tragedy. I plan to do that directly with the involvement of the communities impacted by this tragedy, the families of the victims and any private or public sector individuals or organizations who wish to assist," Poma added.
Commissioner Patty Sheehan charged that the city "messed the deal up" when commissioners delayed the vote on the sale in November, noted WFTV.
Omar Mateen, 29, was shot and killed by police ending the massacre at the gay nightclub, according to CNN. Mateen, who lived In Fort Pierce, Florida, mentioned the Islamic State in a 911 call with dispatchers during the siege, noted the broadcaster.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.