Orlando officials expressed outrage at the overnight erasure of a rainbow-striped crosswalk outside the Pulse Memorial. Critics claim it was removed by the Florida Department of Transportation, but the agency has not responded to a request for comment.
The Memorial honors the 49 people murdered by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in 2016, in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time.
“We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer wrote on X. “But we know that while this crosswalk has been removed, Orlando’s commitment to honoring the 49 can never be erased.”
In a written statement, Equality Florida called the presumed move by the DeSantis administration a “cowardly abuse of power” and an “extreme escalation in his agenda to erase LGBTQ visibility and censor our history.”
Orlando Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith called the decision to remove the crosswalk a “disgusting act of betrayal.”
However, Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t backing down. He responded to Smith’s social media posting by simply declaring, “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
Orlando Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani responded in turn, saying the rainbow crosswalk “was never a political statement, and caring about people of all backgrounds is not meant to be a political statement. And, more visible crosswalks help to increase visibility and safety too.”
“But what is political, what is authoritative, and what is disrespectful to the 49 lives murdered and our entire community, is sneaking into the city in the middle of the night to literally erase a rainbow crosswalk that was originally established with FDOT approval!!” she added.
FDOT released a memo on June 30 requiring that all traffic control devices, including pavement surface markings, to comply with the FDOT Design Manual. It asserted authority to “enforce compliance and withhold state funds from any public agency that is found to be in violation of the established standards for traffic control devices on public roadways.”
That directive followed a state law passed in the 2025 session (SB 1662) that bans asphalt art of any kind in streets, intersections, crosswalks, and roadside sidewalks.
The federal government has released similar directives. On July 1, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to all 50 states about roadway safety that stressed “consistent” roadway markings that are “free from distractions.”
He posted on X, “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks. Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It’s that simple.”
The Orlando City Council recently approved the hiring of a construction company to design and build a permanent Pulse memorial over the next couple of years, Central Florida Public Media reported.
Saying that they “refused to be erased,” Equality Florida called upon everyone in Orlando to show up for a peaceful gathering at the Pulse Memorial at 6:00 p.m.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
