ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The onePULSE Foundation announced Friday that it would no longer move forward with the plan to develop a museum honoring those killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting.

What You Need To Know

  • The onePULSE Foundation announced Friday that it was no longer moving forward with plans to develop a Pulse museum

  • The organization was given $10 million in Orange County Tourism Development Tax funds back in 2018

  • $3.5 million was used to purchase a location on Kaley Street, and another $3 million on designs for the project

"After careful consideration regarding the scope of our proposed projects, including conversations with victims’ families, survivors, and the local community, as well as unforeseen challenges, the onePULSE Foundation Board of Trustees has decided it is no longer feasible to move forward with the plan to develop a museum," onePULSE Chair Earl Crittenden said in a statement. 

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said that he understood that the decision was difficult.

“Earlier today, I met with the onePULSE Foundation to discuss the status of its proposed museum project," he said. "The foundation presented a letter from its board, expressing their decision to no longer proceed with the project. I understand how difficult this decision was for the foundation and the future of the organization is uncertain."

The foundation had received $10 million in Orange County Tourist Development Tax funds in order to build the museum.

During Demings’ meeting with the onePULSE Foundation, one notable person was missing: the foundation's chairperson. On Thursday, Crittenden announced he was resigning from the onePULSE Board of Trustees.

"The Foundation, of course, has not achieved everything we set out to do and probably, the most notable was the consequence of not receiving a donation of the nightclub property to the Foundation from the property's ownership this year," Crittenden wrote in a statement.

Barbara Poma, the owner of the nightclub, had founded the onePULSE Foundation but ultimately stepped away a few months ago. The resignation had come around the same time that it was announced that onePULSE was not able to secure a donation from her for the nightclub property.

Ultimately this lead to the city of Orlando to purchase the property for $2 million with hopes of finally bringing a permanent memorial to the site after more than seven years.

On June 12, 2016, gunman Omar Mateen opened fire in the Pulse nightclub in a terror attack, killing 49 people at the popular gay nightclub and injuring dozens of others.