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Was a permanent Pulse memorial in place by June 12, 2026, the ten-year remembrance, as Orlando's mayor said he wanted?

The Roadmap Reckoner · Orlando, Florida · last checked 2026-09-27

Verdict	PENDING, OVERDUE (by three months and 15 days)
Promiser	Mayor Buddy Dyer, City of Orlando
Place	Orlando, Florida
Promised	2026-06-12 (the ten-year remembrance)
Delivered / status	Not built; the City now expects construction to begin in September 2026 and completion in late 2027
Last checked	2026-09-27

Verdict: PENDING, OVERDUE, by three months and 15 days. The goal was a permanent memorial in place by the ten-year remembrance of the Pulse nightclub shooting, June 12, 2026. At the last check, on September 27, 2026, the memorial had not been built, and no City record read showed its construction had begun.

Last checked: September 27, 2026.

The goal. On December 19, 2023, WKMG News 6 reported that Mayor Buddy Dyer "would like to ensure" that a permanent memorial to the Pulse nightclub shooting would be in place by the 10-year remembrance [C1]. The Orlando Sentinel reported the date as June 12, 2026 [C2].
The City's own schedule. The City's first completion date for the memorial, in its request for proposals of March 3, 2025, was "by the end of 2027" [C8].
Where it stands. On May 15, 2026, the City reported the design at 60 percent, with "construction anticipated to begin in September 2026 and completion anticipated for late 2027" [C20].
No start on the record. The newest release on the City's Pulse Memorial page is its June 12, 2026 notice of the Day of Remembrance ceremony [C24]. None of the City's releases reports that construction has started [C24].

The goal

WKMG News 6 reported on December 19, 2023 [C1]:

"Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced Tuesday he "would like to ensure" that a permanent memorial to the Pulse nightclub shooting is in place by the 10-year remembrance of the tragedy."

Whose words. Only "would like to ensure" is in quotation marks as the mayor's own words; the rest of the sentence is the station's summary [C1].
The date. On December 20, 2023, the Orlando Sentinel reported that "the mayor said Tuesday he'd like to see the memorial built by June 12, 2026, which will mark a decade since the tragedy" [C2].
The mayor, quoted. The Sentinel quoted him: "I think people know that if we say we're going to do something, we keep our word and get it done." [C2]
Before the goal. On October 23, 2023, the City Council had approved buying the Pulse nightclub site, "with plans to develop a permanent memorial at the location" [C3].

Timeline

October 23, 2023. The Council approved buying the Pulse nightclub site for a permanent memorial [C3].
December 19, 2023. The mayor's goal: a permanent memorial in place by the ten-year remembrance [C1].
April 9, 2024. A City release described a process "moving towards the selection of a conceptual design by the end of the year" [C5]. It gave no date for the memorial itself [C5].
July 10, 2024. The City announced a Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee, "with the goal of recommending a conceptual design for the memorial by the end of this year to honor the 49 lives taken" [C6].
February 5, 2025. The City reported: "After a seven-month process that included design-brainstorm sessions and community feedback, the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee has finalized a conceptual design for the future Pulse Memorial." [C7]
March 3, 2025. The City asked for proposals from firms to design and build the memorial, "which is slated for completion by the end of 2027" [C8].
July 14, 2025. The Council approved the ranking of Gomez Construction Company as the top design-build firm and the purchase of the property next to the Pulse site, both unanimously [C9, C13]. The minutes record the mayor saying the memorial "we anticipate will be complete by the end of 2027" [C13].
September 8, 2025. The Council approved Orange County's funding agreement and the Gomez design and construction contracts, both unanimously [C11, C12, C13]. The minutes summarize the mayor's remarks: "Construction is expected to start next summer and then conclude the following year." [C12]
November 10, 2025. The Council approved a grant agreement with the Florida Department of State, unanimously [C14].
January 12, 2026. The Council approved a restrictive covenant tied to that grant, which "encumbers the Property for a period of five (5) years" [C15].
February 18, 2026. The City reported that a construction fence had been installed and that, with it in place, the temporary memorial would no longer be accessible. It said: "The Pulse building will be removed beginning March 18, 2026." [C17]
March 6, 2026. The City's release on reaching 30 percent design said: "The 60% design milestone update is anticipated in May 2026, with construction beginning September 2027." [C19]
March 18, 2026. The City said the clearing of the site would continue that day, and that the 60 percent design update was expected in May, "with construction beginning in September" [C18].
May 15, 2026. The City reported 60 percent design, with construction to begin in September 2026 and completion "late 2027" [C20].
June 12, 2026. The ten-year remembrance. The City invited the community to a remembrance ceremony [C21, C24]. The memorial had not been built [C20, C24].
August 13, 2026. The City's Development Review Committee acted on the Pulse Memorial master plan, MPL2026-10039 [C22].
September 14, 2026. The Council accepted that action, unanimously [C22].

What changed, and why, in the record's own words

The records read do not say that the ten-year goal was dropped, or why the schedule passed it. They record this:

The City's releases never set the ten-year date. In all 26 releases on the City's Pulse Memorial page, June 12, 2026 appears only as the date of the remembrance ceremony [C23].
A design process came first. In 2024 the City's stated goal was a conceptual design by the end of the year, to be recommended by an advisory committee [C5, C6]. In the City's words, the committee's design took "a seven-month process that included design-brainstorm sessions and community feedback" [C7].
Then a firm to design and build it. The City's request for proposals set completion "by the end of 2027" [C8]. The design contract's own estimate for the design phase alone was "approximately 52 weeks from Notice to Proceed (NTP)" [C11].
The start date moved later. In September 2025 the mayor expected construction "next summer" [C12]. One City release in March 2026 gave "construction beginning September 2027" [C19]. The City's releases after it gave September [C18], then September 2026 [C20].
Each Council action on the memorial in the records read carried unanimously [C13, C14, C15, C22].

What it costs

The 2023 goal named no cost [C1, C2].

Estimate: $12 million to design and build the memorial, the figure in the City's memo on Orange County's funding agreement [C10].
Contracts: $1,736,632.07 for design and $10,263,367.93 for construction, "in the total estimated amount of $12,000,000.00" [C11].
Possible additions: the Council also authorized change orders "up to an additional $2,000,000.00 should additional funding be committed from philanthropic or government organizations" [C11].
Who pays: Orange County $5,000,000, in "three annual installments of $1,666,666.67 on November 1 of 2025, 2026, and 2027" [C10]; a Florida Department of State grant of $394,321 [C15, C16]; and the City $6,605,679 [C16].
Land: the City bought the property next to the site for $1,000,000; "The appraised value of the property is $1,235,000." [C9]

What to watch

The start of construction. The City's latest schedule says September 2026 [C20]. No City release reports it yet [C24].
Completion. The City's latest date is "late 2027" [C20].
The County's payments. The last two installments are due on November 1 of 2026 and 2027 [C10].

What this entry did not check

The City's own record of the goal. The City's December 2023 release on the memorial no longer answers at its web address, and no archived copy was found. The goal is quoted here from WKMG and the Orlando Sentinel.
Construction on the ground. Building permits and the City's permit portal were not searched. A news-search summary gave a September 26, 2026 start, but no primary record was found, so this entry does not claim it.
Whether the building came down. The City's releases scheduled its removal for March 18, 2026. No later City record read confirms it.
Orange County's side. The County Commission's own vote on the funding agreement was not read, and the County agreement document could not be downloaded.
The State grant's terms. The grant agreement itself could not be downloaded.
Eight Council item documents that could not be downloaded; none is relied on here.
The earlier promises. Before the City bought the site, the onePULSE Foundation had its own plans for a memorial. They are not traced here.

Sources

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