Following orders to paint over or remove so-called rainbow crosswalks—brightly colored roadway crossings intended to commemorate LGBTQ pride and homosexual rights—a number of Florida cities now face deadlines in the coming days.
Communities are being directed to remove them by the beginning of next month, according to letters from the state transportation department.
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On Thursday, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava expressed her displeasure at the State of Florida’s plan to forcibly remove Pride crosswalks, which are symbols of love, support, and unity in our neighborhoods.
Paint on pavement is only one aspect of these colorful installations. According to a statement, they embody the principles that Miami-Dade holds important, including respect, gratitude for neighbors, and the fundamental right to live and love freely.
Following this week’s removal of a rainbow-colored crossing commemorating the 2016 tragedy outside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were shot dead, communities throughout Florida are debating whether to follow the instructions or not. Work teams painted over it in the middle of the night.
Since U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a directive on July 1st, giving U.S. governors 60 days to identify what he called safety improvements, the matter has been simmering.
In a statement at the time, Duffy stated that roads are for safety, not for art or political statements.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida echoed those remarks on Thursday, posting on X: We will not permit the political appropriation of our state roadways.
The Florida Department of Transportation said in a statement that it is their responsibility to guarantee the security and reliability of public roads and transit networks.
It stated that this included making sure our roads aren’t used for ideological, political, or social purposes.
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According to Rand Hoch, founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, the movement to remove the crosswalks is “clearly an anti-LGBTQ push on behalf of both the federal government and the copycat version from the state government.”
Hoch stated that they are essentially blackmailing states, counties, and municipalities by threatening to withdraw funding if they don’t comply. It’s completely absurd.
It’s unknown if municipalities and states outside of Florida are being compelled to take down rainbow crossings, but Florida frequently leads the country in disputes over what some refer to as the “culture wars of politics.” Among these are disputes over the removal of books from the library that DeSantis and other Republicans believe are improper.
In response to the federal directive this week, officials in at least one large city outside of Lexington, Kentucky, stated that they have no plans to take down their rainbow crosswalks.
No plans exist to cover them. According to municipal spokesman Craig Cammack, “we were careful to use a design that did not cause traffic concerns when we put them in.” We believe it satisfies the federal crosswalk regulations.
If pavement markers in Key West, Florida’s historic downtown aren’t taken down by September 3, the Florida Department of Transportation will do it immediately and using any suitable technique, according to state transportation officials. Federal officials reportedly warned the “immediate withholding” of state monies if they discovered any further infractions in a letter addressed to the municipal manager of Key West.
According to the letter sent to Key West leaders on August 15, numerous municipal towns in Florida started taking steps right away to guarantee compliance. The number of communities that have collaborated and the actions they have taken were not specified.
This week, city officials in St. Petersburg asked that five street art initiatives be kept in place rather than being taken down because they promoted a feeling of community. These consist of a crosswalk with a University of South Florida motif, a rainbow-colored intersection, and a Black Lives Matter mural.
In response to the denial of its plea, St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth Welch announced Friday that the city will enable state technicians to remove the artwork in accordance with the state’s directive.
In a statement to The Associated Press late Friday, Welch stated, “Even though these particular art murals will be taken down, the essence of what makes St. Pete unique cannot be stifled by legislative decree, and we will find meaningful ways to express our shared values.”
By the first week of September, Miami Beach is required to take down its rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive. “This action must be resisted,” Commissioner Alex Fernandez told WSVN-TV. We must safeguard our community’s uniqueness as well as the freedom and security that our rainbow crosswalk conveys to the outside world.
