Orlando bid to buy Pulse ‘colossally mishandled,' commissioner says

Club owner says she won't sell club to Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – For months, the city of Orlando had been planning on buying the Pulse nightclub to build a memorial to the 49 people killed there -- but now, the deal is off the table.

Pulse owner Barbara Poma announced Monday that she won't sell the nightclub to the city of Orlando.

News 6 spoke to Orlando commissioners who said the deal fell apart after a disagreement over the $2.25 million price tag.

The Pulse property with the building was appraised at $1.6 million and $700,000 for the land alone.

Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan said she understood why Poma called her to say she was backing out of the sale.

“We have paid above-market value on numerous other properties in the city of Orlando it's never been a problem before," Sheehan told News 6. “I’m distressed that this sale did not go through.”

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer delayed the Nov. 14 vote to approve the purchase, citing price negotiations.

Sheehan said the transaction was “colossally mishandled” and told News 6 her fellow commissioners accused Poma of trying to profit from the tragedy.

"You know you are not going to get the sale to go through if you're re going it insult the seller of the property," Sheehan said. "I think that's what happened here."

Commissioner Jim Gray said he wasn't questioning Poma's motives, but why the city would pay three times the property value.

“People can sell their property for whatever they want; I just don’t need to pay for it,” Gray said.

The city planned on removing the club building and Gray said he didn’t see why they would pay for the building when they only wanted to the land, at three times the value.

News 6 asked Poma if she felt her motives were questioned or if those discussions at the city council meeting swayed her decision. 

"No," she said. "For me it wasn't about the money."

She said her decision was more for the victims and their families. 

The sell was something she had been struggling with for a while, but really started having doubts around Thanksgiving, Poma said.

"It was just something that was constantly in me and then as the days went by I just told them I just didn't want to do it I didn't want to sell it,” Poma said. “So we went from there and just decided what that was going to mean for us." 

At a news conference, Poma couldn't answer if the building will stand or be torn down. If it will re-open as a nightclub or be the site of a permanent memorial. 

"I think it's hard for us what the future will be," she said. 

But she did say whatever the future will be, it will be one that includes the victims, their families and this community. 

“I intend for all of the those people to have input and to help us develop this together because it truly is their space. It's not just mine now. I do share it with every family and every part of this community," Poma said. "The Latin, LGBT community, every family member who was affected as well as anyone who lives here in Orlando. So it's going to be something that's collective over a period of time. "


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