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3h ago

Florida Begins Removing Pavement Art as Orlando Starts Painting Over Crosswalks

Officials cite new safety standards following federal guidance.

This art painted on the street at the intersection of S. Orange Ave. and Church Street is pictured on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
A bicycle lane at the intersection of Laureate Boulevard and Benavente Avenue, outside Laureate Park Elementary School in Lake Nona, on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. The art on the bicycle lane will be painted over by FDOT. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Demonstrators wave flags and cheer during a protest at a crosswalk in front of the former Pulse nightclub in Orlando on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The crosswalk had been painted in rainbow-themed colors, but overnight Wednesday, the rainbow-colored paint was removed from the crosswalk by the Florida Department of Transportation in an ongoing effort to remove “political banners” from public roadways. This sparked outrage from the LGBTQ+ community. During Thursday’s protest, demonstrators “replaced” the rainbow colors on the crosswalk using chalk. The former Pulse gay nightclub is now a memorial site for the 49 victims who were murdered there in 2016. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Mayor Dean Trantalis speaks during a special Fort Lauderdale commission meeting at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, as Commissioners Ben Sorensen, left, and Steven Glassman look on. The meeting was held to discuss a letter from the Florida Department of Transportation requiring the removal of rainbow and other street art in the city. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Overview

  • Orlando began work Wednesday to paint over 14 decorative crosswalks after FDOT flagged 18 locations and set an early-September deadline for compliance.
  • FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said pavement art is no longer permitted under a new state standard, rendering prior approvals and programs irrelevant.
  • Florida is threatening to withhold funding from jurisdictions that do not comply, with Miami Beach given a Sept. 4 deadline, Key West warned of removal by Sept. 3, and Fort Lauderdale convening an emergency meeting.
  • The rainbow memorial crossing at the Pulse nightclub site was repainted black and white, residents repeatedly recolored it, and officials have stationed police to prevent further repainting.
  • Projects previously promoted by the state are being targeted, including FDOT-sponsored student bike-lane art in Orlando, as reporting estimates roughly 400 roadway-art treatments statewide could face removal and some counties revert green bike crossings to standard markings.