Mayor Buddy Dyer met with Pulse owner Barbara Poma to discuss buying the property and turning the site into a memorial, according to officials with Pulse and the city.
The mayor and Poma met at least twice, according to Pulse spokeswoman Sara Brady, while police still had control of the nightclub. Talks of buying the property are still “premature,” according to Brady, who says Poma wants to see the site turned into a permanent memorial, calling the space “sacred ground.”
It was the mayor’s “desire to start discussions” about buying the property, according to Cassandra Lafser, a spokeswoman for the city.
Poma is still exploring her options, according to Brady. She has said she wants to reopen the club as a tribute to her brother who died of AIDs and to the 49 people killed on June 12.