LGBTQ+ rights advocates and local leaders are condemning the overnight removal of a rainbow-painted crosswalk outside Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed by a gunman in 2016. Officials erased the crosswalk, painted in honor of the victims on the one-year anniversary, after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s Department of Transportation issued a statewide directive.
Now, the removal is sparking outrage among residents and officials.
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Removal of ‘social, political or ideological messages’
Transportation officials said the action is part of an effort to keep roads free of “social, political or ideological messages.” The department said it recently notified local governments of noncompliant roadways and has begun “correcting pavement markings not in compliance.”
The removal follows guidance from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. In July, he declared that states would not allow crosswalks or roads to display political messages.
Backlash from lawmakers and local leaders
Democratic State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith called the move “depraved” when speaking with The Washington Post.
“Of all the rainbow crosswalks that exist in Florida that this administration is actively trying to remove by coercion and threats, that one outside of Pulse nightclub is the one he decided to make an example of,” Smith said.
Officials also removed other crosswalks in the area, including a neon green one with orange slices on it. Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan told The Post that she had no prior notice of the project.
“We’ve worked with the state on many, many roads, and in many, many situations,” she said. “We’ve never had them just do something like this, in the cover of darkness in the middle of the night.”
Democratic Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer criticized the move on social media Thursday and called it a “cruel political act.”
“This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando’s commitment to honor the 49 lives taken,” he wrote.
DeSantis defends the decision
DeSantis defended the removal on social media. He said, “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
The governor’s post came in response to Smith’s accusations on social media that officials “illegally vandalized city property” by removing the rainbow crosswalk.
A broader trend
Florida’s rainbow crosswalks have been under scrutiny for months, and other cities have already acted. Boynton Beach recently removed a Progress Pride flag crosswalk following the administration’s guidance.
Other cities and states have made similar moves since Duffy’s national directive. A “Black Lives Matter” mural in Washington, D.C., was taken down after the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers threatened to withhold federal funds unless they removed the signage.
