Overview

• Four protesters arrested for chalking the former Pulse rainbow crosswalk were released, with a judge finding no probable cause in one case and prosecutors yet to file charges.
• FDOT held an informal hearing on Delray Beach’s request to keep its rainbow intersection, with both sides ordered to submit proposed final orders by week’s end before a decision by the agency’s chief engineer.
• State lawyers argued any pavement art is illegal under updated traffic-control rules, while Delray contended the memorial mural is not a traffic device and has not created safety issues.
• Governor Ron DeSantis said people have no First Amendment right to mark state roads, backing ongoing enforcement that has included troopers at the site and repainting of the crosswalk.
• The removals were spurred by a July 1 directive from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urging uniform road markings, even as local data show decorative crosswalks have correlated with fewer pedestrian crashes.