The state of Florida is over the rainbow. Rainbow crosswalks, that is.
The Sunshine State has ordered all rainbow crosswalks be painted over by September 3, 2025 after a July 1 directive from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that state governors identify safety improvements in each state within 60 days.
“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Duffy said in a statement, as reported by The Associated Press.
The bright street colors in crosswalks were intended to celebrate the LGBTQ community and pride, and now municipalities across Florida are unhappy with the order to remove them.
“I am outraged by the state of Florida’s decision to forcefully remove Pride crosswalks — symbols of love, support and unity in our communities,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. She added that the crosswalks “are more than paint on pavement. They reflect the values we hold dear in Miami-Dade: respect, appreciation of fellow neighbors and the fundamental right to live and love openly.”
A rainbow crosswalk was removed last week outside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where 49 individuals were shot and killed in the 2016 massacre. Work crews painted over the crosswalk during nighttime hours.
Every state that receives federal funding for roadways must identify hazards, according to a statement from the Federal Highway Administration to The AP.
“We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted on X.
The Florida Department of Transportation said in a statement to The AP that its duty includes “ensuring our roadways are not utilized for social, political or ideological interests.”
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Founder Rand Hoch said that removing the rainbow on crosswalks is “clearly an anti-LGBTQ push on behalf of both the federal government and the copycat version from the state government.”
“They’re basically blackmailing municipalities, counties and states by saying if you don’t do this, we’re going to withhold funding. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Hoch said.
Rainbow crosswalks are the new battleground between Liberals and Conservatives after conservative Republicans, including DeSantis, attacked library books about characters who identify as LGBQTQ.
Craig Cammack, a spokesman for the city of Lexington, Kentucky, told The AP his city has no plans to cover rainbow crosswalks.
“When we put them in, we were careful to use a design that did not cause traffic concerns. We feel it meets the federal requirements regarding crosswalks,” Cammack said.
The Florida Department of Transportation told Key West to remove rainbow colors in crosswalks before September 3, or the state department “will remove them by any appropriate method necessary without further notice.” Federal authorities warned Key West‘s city manager in a letter that state funds would be withheld if other violations are found.
City leaders in St. Petersburg requested an exception for five street art projects, including a Black Lives Matter mural and a rainbow-colored intersection, that foster a sense of community for the city. But the request was denied, according to St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth Welch, who said the city will comply and allow state crews to remove the art.
“While these specific art murals will be removed, the spirit of what makes St. Pete a special place can’t be suppressed by legislative fiat, and we will find meaningful ways to express our shared values,” Welch said in a statement to The AP.
In Miami Beach, its rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive must be removed.
“We need to resist this action. We need to protect the individuality of our community, the freedom and the safety that our rainbow crosswalk expresses to the world,” Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez said to WSVN-TV.
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Rebecca Barnabi
