According to the Orlando Sentinel, the City of Orlando announced on Monday that they had reached a deal to buy the Pulse Nightclub for $2.25 million in order to turn it into a permanent memorial for the victims of the June 12 tragedy.
The gay nightclub, previously owned by Barbara and Rosario Poma, was the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history, leaving 49 dead and wounding dozens more.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has said that the city plans to leave the makeshift memorial intact for now.
"There are lots of people that are making a visit to the site part of their trip, part of their experience of Orlando, so I think 12 to 18 months of leaving it as-is would be appropriate," Dyer explained.
Eventually, the city's goal is to create something more permanent in order to "honor the memory of the victims that are deceased [and] those that were injured, and a testament to the resilience of our community."
The city's $2.25 million offer for the Pulse Nightclub, which has been closed since the night of the incident, is up from its appraised value of $1.65 million.
