More than $7M in Orlando fund will go directly to victims, mayor says

ORLANDO, Fla., June 17 (UPI) -- A monetary fund established in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shootings has surpassed the $7 million-mark and will be directly given to survivors and relatives of the dead, the city's mayor said Friday.

The account, OneOrlando, has grown fast as donors nationwide have opened their pocketbooks to help those impacted by the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

"We're showing the world that we are Orlando United. I'm so proud of the people standing behind me," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said Friday.

The fund has received cash from purchases of "Orlando United" T-shirts and donations from private individuals.

"The purpose of the fund is to provide a way to help respond to the needs of our community, now and in the time to come, after the effects of the Pulse nightclub tragedy," Dyer added.

Dyer said Friday there will be no "middle man" in the process. Previously, officials planned to give all the money to nonprofit agencies, which would then hand it out to the victims. But Dyer said after soliciting advice from experts, he decided direct payouts would be better.

"It became very clear early on that there were families and individuals and victims that were in need and in need of compensation in a quick fashion," the mayor said. "People that didn't have groceries, didn't have rent money and there was a great need to distribute the money directly to victims."

Other funds have also been set up to aid the victims of Sunday's attack, including one by the owner of the Pulse nightclub.

Forty-nine people were killed at the club early Sunday morning and more than 50 were wounded. Several remain hospitalized.