Orlando clubs to beef up security in wake of Pulse shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s the first weekend since a mass shooting killed 49 people and injured 53 others at Pulse nightclub, and the entire city of Orlando has been on high alert since then.

Some popular weekend spots throughout the city have made some big changes to security to make sure customers feel safe.

At Wall Street in downtown Orlando, security will have metal detector wands at each entrance.

But instead of using them on every third or fourth person, everyone will be stopped.

“They’re (security guards) really important. They are the first faces that anyone sees coming in,” said Wall Street general manager Patrick Griffin. “They have a lot of duties. They have to check everyone out to make sure they’re safe to come in.”

He added that people should expect longer lines because of the security measures.

Not many people packed the club, which is 2 miles away from Pulse, Friday night.

“I think everyone is not in the mood to go out. I can’t blame them. We are all handling it in our own way,” said Griffin.

Griffin said 1.5 million people visit the group of clubs each year.

“I do worry. We are a big place and I feel terrible for what happened at Pulse,” Griffin.

He said security will remain a top priority.

Southern Nights, a gay club workers at Pulse call their “sister club,” is also beefing up security.

The club managers did not speak to Channel 9, but said on its Facebook page new security measures started on Wednesday.

Southern Nights has two officers in the parking lot, and security guards stand at all the doors.

Metal detector wands are also used at the entrance.

Orlando’s oldest gay club, Parliament House, sent out a message on Facebook Friday morning about some security police changes.

It states because of the Pulse terror attack, security guards will now have metal detector wands at the entrance, and there will also be other guards walking throughout the club and around the property.

The post went on to say off-duty officers with Orlando police will be at the club as well.

Management didn’t want to talk about the changes, but said they just want people to have fun and be safe.

Cox Media Group