The city of Orlando has reached a deal to buy the Pulse nightclub for $2.25 million and plans to eventually transform
the site of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history into a memorial. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that the city won't rush to change the club, once a mainstay in the gay community that has become a gathering place for visiting and local mourners alike. "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 said. In the meantime, the city plans to solicit ideas from the community for what form the lasting memorial should take. Dyer said the city hasn't ruled out leaving part of the club intact permanently, such as the roadside sign featuring its now-iconic logo. The city's ultimate goal, he said, will be to "create something to honor the memory of the victims that are deceased [and] those that were injured, and a testament to the resilience of our community." READ MORE