The LGBT+ Center will direct project using $250K of COVID relief funds
A private groundbreaking held for families of the victims, held prior to the media unveiling, featured a tribute on the shovels to the “49 angels” who perished at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016.
An Osceola County tribute to the 49 lives lost in the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016 in Orlando had been planned in 2024, with renderings and money budgeted from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds received from the federal government in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A 2025 groundbreaking was originally set for “Wings of the Rainbow” at Brownie Wise Park, but after outcry from nearby residents and conservation groups that the scale and illumination of the design would be out of place in the park, the calendar turned to 2026 without any word about the project from county leaders.
The project resurfaced Wednesday— five days after the 10th anniversary of the shooting—when Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, the driving force behind the tribute, was part of an unveiling for the media after an exclusive groundbreaking for family members of a few of the Pulse victims.
The new project will be built near the Twin Oaks Conservation Area off Macy Island Road, right off Cross Prairie Parkway. The design has been altered slightly, and will still include a 49-foottall rainbow-colored structure, with the names of those killed that fateful night appearing on it. It will be part of a heartshaped area of landscaping and new trees.
The land was donated by developer D.R. Horton, and the funds have been transferred to The LGBT+ Center Orlando, making its CEO, George Wallace, the construction manager.
“We wound up moving the artistic tribute here, which we feel, is a much more appropriate place,” said Grieb, herself a member of the LGBT community. “This piece of land (incorporates) the beautiful canopy (of trees on Macy Island), the families were in love with that. This will be a place for families to come and convene with their loved ones. This was not a Commissioner Grieb project.”
She noted a $250,000 price tag, and that the artist Jefrë Figueras Manuel has designed it free of charge. In addition to the land donation, Grieb said local outfits would also be donating site work and surveying. Jefrë said the costs will go towards materials and construction. After completion the site will become a county park, and the county will take on maintenance.
The land transfer process is ongoing, Grieb said, noting that there isn’t a timeline yet for the work to start, or finish.
“We’re more concerned about getting this right than an actual timeline, and we’ve discussed that with the families, and they’re an agreement,” she said.
Grieb said county officials went silent about the project for months because those involved were ensuring the transfer of the funds to The Center. For the first time since the project became a community talking point, she gave reasons why she’s pushed for an Osceola County reflection spot.
“This was a project that families that lived or worked or had loved ones that lived in Osceola County from the Pulse tragedy asked for,” she said. “They told me several years ago, ‘Cheryl, we’d love to have somewhere local that we can go and just talk to our kids, catch them up on what’s going on. We understand the (official memorial in Orlando) happening, but honestly, it’s too painful for a lot of them to go back there. There is a need for the memorial, and I’m so glad that that’s moving forward.
“We had to kind of scale this back because of the location. I wanted to make sure I met with the families first because again, this was their request and I wanted them to be happy with it. They wanted to be able to have a private event.”
None of the family members attending the private groundbreaking chose to speak with the media.
Wallace said his organization has been involved with Grieb and the county since the project’s conception.
“I think that it is something that is going to be well received by the community, and it’s beautiful, and is hearing it was so special from the families.”
For months area residents spoke, dozens at a time, at the county’s public comment meetings the second Monday of the month, and nearly all were against constructing such a project at Brownie Wise. The move roughly four miles to the east meant a change in design and concept, Jefrë said.
“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many of the families for nearly 10 years,” he said. “The journey and things became very clear. This project was never simply about creating a sculpture. It’s about creating a place for love, reflection, healing and connecting the community.
“The original tribute was designed for a different location and envisioned as one artwork within a larger park. When the site changed, we were given an opportunity to rethink the project and create something even more meaningful.”
