Barbara Poma, owner of the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, has decided not to sell the property to the city for a memorial, but rather to create a "sanctuary of hope" independently, she announed Monday. The city of Orlando had planned to pay $2.25 million to purchase Pulse—the nightlcub site of a June mass shooting that left 49 people dead—and convert it into a memorial, but Poma expressed Monday that she is no longer interested in selling. Orlando spokeswoman Cassandra Lafser released a statement that city officials respect the decision "and are hopeful the Pulse site continues to be a place of hope and healing that honors the victims."
