The owner of Pulse Orlando will not sell the night club and will take over plans to build a permanent memorial on the site of the mass shooting that killed 49 people in June.

Standing outside the now-closed and fenced-in nightclub, Barbara Poma said Monday she could not come to grips with giving up the club, which she opened in 2004 in honor of her brother, who contracted AIDS and died in 1991.

"This decision truly came just from my heart and from my passion for Pulse, and everything it's meant to me and my family for the last 12 years," Poma said.

The City of Orlando had been expected to soon approve the purchase of the gay nightclub on south Orange Avenue, where 49 people were killed and more than 50 others were injured in a terror attack. The city delayed purchasing the nightclub last month after some of the commissioners raised eyebrows about the cost.

The city offered $2.25 million, but the property was appraised at $1.68 million before the mass shooting, according to city documents.

It was that delay that Commissioner Patty Sheehan thinks put doubt into Poma’s mind about the city purchasing the site and why she canceled the deal. She said bullies at the city led to this decision and that the insinuation that Poma was trying to profit from the purchase is ridiculous.

“All in all I’m disappointed, but frankly, I’m not surprised. This is what happens when you insult the seller in a difficult real estate transaction, like some of my colleagues did. I think that’s really unfortunate,” Sheehan said.

“I think two of the commissioners think we shouldn’t have reached an agreement to pay more than the appraised value, but I consider that to be sacred ground," Dyer said. "It’s a property that is important, and I think Barbara will take good care of that.”

Poma, for her part, said she was not offended by anything commissioners or anyone else had said about the deal with the city.

"You couldn't put a price on it for me," Poma said. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion and their feelings, but for me it wasn't about the real estate or the appraisal, it was about the emotion of what happened here."

Poma did say her goal is to honor the victims with a memorial but explained she is not sure what exactly they would do with the site. With her husband by her side, Poma talked about how the couple have several other successful businesses, like WildSide bar and Grille, and will base their decisions on their experience.

 "Now we just start planning. Now we can start working towards the future. We don't know what that looks like exactly right now because this just came about and we just made this decision," said Poma.

Poma also said she will reach out to the families of the victims, the survivors and the community in developing what the Pulse space will look like in the future.

"It truly is their space it's not just mine now," Poma said. "I do share it with every family and every part of this community -- the Latin, the LGBT community, every family member who is affected and as well as just everyone who lives here in Orlando. So it's going to be collective over a period of time."

Visitors we spoke with Monday said they hope the focus remains the same as the city's -- honoring the lives lost.

"I think if this became anything other than a memorial that there would be a huge amount of pushback in the community," said Eric Rollings, who said he was a frequent Pulse customer.

Ismael Rutledge came to Pulse Monday for the first time since the shooting. He said he had friends and family who often went to Pulse. He hopes that whatever memorial comes, a club will also open in that spot as well.

“Just because, sadly 49 lives had to be lost,” said Rutledge. “But that does not mean there should not be a safe place for people in the LGBT community to feel free and be themselves.”

Dyer tweeted the following statement Monday:

"We understand that this was an incredibly difficult decision for the owners and respect their decision and are hopeful the Pulse site continues to be a place of hope and healing that honors the victims. We believe it is important for the community to have input into a memorial that honors the victims and pays tribute to the resiliency of Orlando. City staff will continue to research and understand how other communities have approached the memorial process. As we better understand that process, and after engaging with our commissioners and community partners, we’ll update the community on the next steps."

Dyer said the city will move forward with its own memorial, but details and location have not been released.