Overview

• Florida’s transportation department painted over the rainbow crosswalk outside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub under a federal directive for uniform roadway markings.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s SAFE ROADS guidance emphasizes safety and reducing distractions as the rationale for eliminating decorative pavement art.
• Governor Ron DeSantis backed the action, saying the state will not allow its roads to be used for political purposes.
• Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer condemned the removal as a callous, cruel political act tied to a memorial site for the 49 victims of the 2016 attack.
• The Associated Press reported that Florida has warned cities to remove such crosswalks or risk the withholding of transportation funds, and activists’ chalk recoloring was washed away by rain.