Sarasota Mayor declares June 12th as 'Pulse Remembrance Day'

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mayor Hagen Brody declared June 12th as "Pulse Remembrance Day" in Sarasota during two ceremonies throughout the day, marking the 5th anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting where 49 innocent lives were lost. One of the victims, Eddie Sotomayor, is from Sarasota.

"The city of Sarasota stands firm with our LGBTQ and Hispanic communities in defeating hate wherever and whenever it occurs and continues to honor and pray for the victim's survivors families and friends of the victims of this horrific tragedy," said Brody.

Even though the ceremonies were somber, city leaders, organizers, and religious leaders hope this day helps uplift people as they reflect on the tragedy.

"I want to just remind everyone again, on this fifth anniversary of the pulse nightclub massacre that hate tried and love won, Love continues to win and we need to leave here today knowing that love will always win," said Rev. Tony Viglione from the Church of the Trinity MCC Sarasota.

Law enforcement agencies also took part in the ceremonies. The chief of the Sarasota Police Department says he hopes a tragedy like this never happens again.

UPDATES: Get news alerts and updates in the free FOX 13 News app