Pulse Memorial still delayed, frustrating survivors
By Spencer Tracy
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OSCEOLA COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — Months after a promised groundbreaking, the Osceola County Pulse Memorial remains an empty field, leaving survivors and the community frustrated.
The memorial, Wings of the Rainbow, was supposed to break ground at Brownie Wise Park in Kissimmee, but there is still no sign of construction amid pushback and postponements.
The memorial is planned to feature 49 angel wings, one for each life lost in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. More than 20% of the victims called Osceola County home.
“We still have nothing, no memorial, no nothing. It’s been nine years, and we’re still on the same page,” Jorshua Hernandez Carrion, a Pulse survivor, said.
After years of planning and two postponed dates, county officials have not set a new groundbreaking date. Leaders initially promised a June 12, 2025, start, then postponed it to October, coinciding with LGBTQ+ History Month, saying the timing would allow families and survivors to celebrate “community-led efforts coming into view.”
“We don’t have answers from Osceola County, so how long is it going to take?” Carrion said.
Some residents have raised environmental concerns about the site along Lake Toho’s shoreline. County officials said a new fundraising committee is now managing the project.
“I hope they make the memorial. That’s the important thing at this time. I’m tired of being in the news repeating the same thing,” Carrion said.
Carrion said the wait has been long and painful for a memorial meant to honor both loss and love.
“They keep promising to make a memorial, and we don’t see anything,” Carrion said.
WESH 2 reached out to Osceola County on the project’s timeline and possible groundbreaking date, but have not heard back.
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