ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando SlingShot Group's rides at ICON Park have been closed since a deadly accident in March, but Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Wednesday avoided addressing whether the rides will stay closed forever.

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Her comments came at the conclusion of a meeting on the future of the scrutinized Orlando FreeFall thrill ride. The meeting at the ICON Park property at Brother Jimmy's in Orlando was designed to address the concerns of community members about how long the investigation into the accident was taking. One individual at the meeting said he was worried that people who were unaware of the accident would be convinced by the business to ride the attraction.

Some people have been calling for the Orlando FreeFall drop tower ride’s removal since Tyre Sampson, 14, fell from it and died on March 24. The 430-foot drop tower ride has been closed since then. Some individuals at the meeting said they wanted a permanent memorial to Sampson.

Fried said Sampson would not be forgotten and that she won't rest until her office determines what led to his death.

“We want to make sure we have answers, complete and thorough answers,” Fried said. 

The Agriculture Office's investigation will determine whether the ride was put together and operated according to the protocols called for by its manufacturer and then her office will make recommendations on more oversight of similar rides to operators and lawmakers, Fried said. Her office's role is not investigating the safety of the ride, she said.

Fried said her office also is looking into whether individuals made choices to alter the ride. If changes were made without the Agriculture Department's authorization, there could be "ramifications," Fried said.

“We want to do everything possible to make sure we’re holding [people] accountable,” Fried said. 

According to an initial report released in April by outside forensic engineers brought in to investigate the accident, show sensors on a Florida amusement park ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, resulting in Sampson not being properly secured before he slipped out and fell to his death. The safety lights on Sampson’s seat and on the ride’s control panel were illuminated; if they hadn't been, the ride would not have started, the report said. As the ride slowed down, Sampson slipped through a gap between the seat and safety harness, the report said.

The Orlando FreeFall ride, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty, didn't experience any electrical or mechanical failures, the report said.

The ride operator, Orlando SlingShot Group, sent a statement to Spectrum News 13 through its attorney, Trey Arnold, saying there are no plans for new attractions at the ICON Park location. 

However, Orlando SlingShot Group does hope to reopen the SlingShot ride, which is the ride located next to the drop tower, after the Department of Agriculture deems it safe, the statement said. The SlingShot ride closed not long after FreeFall did. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Editor's note: An older version of the story stated that the meeting was going to take place at Mr. Mango, but the location was changed.