Overview

• Crews used heavy equipment Sunday evening to pull up the Pride-themed pavers at Ocean Drive and 12th Street as onlookers and performers protested the removal.
• The action followed Miami Beach’s failed appeal to keep the crosswalk, despite city resolutions and a move to rename the block Pride Street to reinforce its permanence.
• FDOT has ordered cities to eliminate pavement art tied to social, political or ideological messages, with notices that noncompliance could jeopardize state transportation dollars.
• The statewide crackdown has identified roughly 400 locations, with some sites repainted overnight and previous removals including the Pulse memorial crosswalk in Orlando.
• Gov. Ron DeSantis said removals have included displays from various viewpoints, while Miami Beach officials vowed to keep pushing for LGBTQ+ visibility and to oppose the state’s actions.