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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Richard Luscombe in Miami

Orlando begins demolition of Pulse nightclub, site of 2016 mass shooting that killed 49

Workers lower a large sign that reads 'Pulse' on to a truck bed outside a building
The Pulse nightclub sign is removed by workers on 11 March 2026. Photograph: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP

Demolition of Pulse, the LGBTQ+-friendly nightclub in Florida where 49 people were killed in 2016, began on Wednesday, bringing a symbolic end to an almost decade-long wrangle over the future of the building that some residents and its former owners wanted to be preserved as a memorial for the victims.

A new $12m permanent memorial will be built on the site, with final plans expected to be revealed in May, and its completion scheduled for fall 2027.

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