In remembrance of the 17 lives lost in the Parkland school shooting, six potential designs for a memorial have emerged as finalists, providing a glimpse into the future site of homage in Coral Springs. The unveiling of these concepts comes nearly six years after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School unfolded, according to reports from WSVN and a post by the Miami Herald.

Among the chosen designs are three from Florida-based contestants who've now been tasked to present their plans to the Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation and the families affected in March, facing the challenge of encapsulating both remembrance and hope within their work, where more than 50 submissions were initially evaluated but it was these six that stood out. Gena Hoyer, who lost her son Luke, told WSVN, "Throughout the years, the numbness wears off, and for me it’s harder," expressing the enduring pain of loss that has only intensified over time.

The chosen design will ultimately manifest at the intended site off Coral Ridge Drive and Heron Bay Boulevard. Lori Alhadeff, who mourns the loss of her daughter Alyssa, shared her vision of the memorial with WSVN: "It’ll be a place for us to reflect on the loss of Alyssa and the 16 others, and just to be there, to have a place, a special place, for us to go and heal." The aim is to finalize the memorial by year's end, though the timeframe may shift depending on the comparative assessments of the varying submissions, as Tony Montalto, a leading voice in the memorial effort, indicated he realizes that if design teams bring forward disparate ideas more time might be required.

Amid the anticipation, families remain hopeful that the community will participate in funding the permanent tribute, with Max Schachter, who lost his son Alex, illuminating the purpose of the memorial to WSVN by stating, "I’m excited for there to be a proper memorial to remember, not the tragedy, but the lives that we lost and the beautiful people that we lost." The foundation has encouraged community contributions towards the memorial's construction, details of which can be found with a link shared in the WSVN report and through the renderings of the final six designs available via a Miami Herald tweet.