ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando announced on Wednesday the selection of 18 members for the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee.
The city first announced the creation of the committee on June 7, to consist of members representing victims’ families, survivors and community leaders.
The new movement comes as the city took over plans to build a memorial following the dissolution of the onePULSE Foundation originally tasked with the project.
It’s been eight years since the Pulse Nightclub attack on June 12, 2016, that took the lives of 49 people in Orlando. Survivors and families have been waiting for a permanent memorial since then.
Of the 18 on the committee, 15 are either survivors or lost someone in the tragedy. The other three helped in the response to the attack.
The new Pulse committee will help decide what the memorial looks like.
The 18 members selected include:
- Aracelis Maria Jimenez
- lost a family member in the tragedy
- Brett Rigas
- survivor and lost a family member in the tragedy
- Brian Reagan
- survivor, former Pulse employee, artist
- Carlitos Diaz Rodriguez
- family member of a survivor, architect/design professional, landscape architect, artist
- Cesar Rodriguez
- survivor
- Felicia Burt
- lost a family member in the tragedy
- Jamie Reed
- lost a friend in the tragedy, architect/design professional, marketing professional
- Joshua Garcia
- former Pulse employee, provided services after the tragedy, mental health professional
- Keinon Carter
- survivor
- Kelly Dawson
- lives in the Orlando area and felt the loss as a community member, architect/design professional
- Rev. Marcelino Rivera
- lost a friend in the tragedy, provided services after the tragedy, clergy and artist
- Mayra Alvear BenabeI
- lost a family member in the tragedy
- Norman Casiano-Mojica
- survivor
- Nancy Rosado
- provided services after the tragedy, mental health professional, community advocate, former first responder
- Perry T Snider Jr.
- lost a friend in the tragedy, former Pulse employee, artist
- Siclaly “Laly” M. Santiago-Leon
- lost a family member in the tragedy
- Terrance Hunter
- regularly visited or patronized Pulse, educator and museum professional
- Tommy Connelly
- survivor, artist
More than 150 people submitted applications to join the committee by the June 23 deadline.
One of the selected committee members, Keinon Carter, was shot multiple times during the night of the Pulse shooting and has had numerous surgeries between his leg and abdomen.
Carter hopes being on the committee shows movement for a memorial can happen, but feels a larger group of people would have been warranted.
“I think more mothers and fathers of the deceased might need to have a seat on this committee,” he said. “Those are the people who should matter more than anything right now.”
Carter’s vision for a memorial is a place one doesn’t just visit to see what happened, but a place to memorialize and enjoy.
His vision is a building that would be a nightclub, a cafe and a memorial inside and outside to remember the victims.
“Not being able to dance there, on that space, on that floor, is allowing the killer to have a win,” he said. “So my proposal is to build a 2.0 version of what Pulse was supposed to be.”
The city said a group of community leaders reviewed the applications without viewing names or personal identifying information, and made a recommendation to Mayor Buddy Dyer of which individuals should serve on the committee.
The group of community leaders who reviewed the applications include:
- JahKiya Bell, Ed.D, Senior Advisor to the President and CEO, Heart of Florida United Way
- Rev. Dr. Jose Rodriguez of the Episcopal Churches of Christ the King and Jésus de Nazaret
- Joél Junior Morales, Foundation Manager, Contigo Fund
- Jesse Arias, Director of the Orlando United Resiliency Services (OURS), LGBT+ Center Orlando
The committee will hold monthly meetings throughout the end of the year.
The first meetings will be on:
- Wednesday, July 24, 2024, 4 - 8 p.m.
- Thursday, July 25, 2024, 4 - 6 p.m.
- Kia Center, Hourglass Room, 400 West Church Street
The community can attend the committee meetings virtually or in-person.