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4d ago

Florida Enforces Ban on Decorative Road Markings as Cities Appeal and Deadlines Near

A federal safety directive is now driving state orders that tie early-September compliance to the risk of losing transportation funds.

A rainbow-colored crosswalk celebrating gay rights and LGBTQ+ pride, located a block from the beach, in in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
This pairing of images shows, at left, a rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2017, and the same crosswalk with the rainbow paint removed on August 21, 2025.
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)

Overview

  • Orlando began repainting 14 decorative intersections to standard markings to meet a Sept. 4 deadline after FDOT flagged 18 locations as noncompliant.
  • State crews repeatedly covered the Pulse memorial rainbow crossing and police now guard the site, with new signs warning against defacing the roadway and activists reporting arrest threats.
  • Fort Lauderdale’s commission unanimously voted to appeal the removal order and hired outside counsel, signaling a potential court fight despite funding risks.
  • FDOT’s purge reaches beyond Pride art to student-designed bike-lane markings it promoted in May, a Tampa "Back the Blue" street mural, green bicycle crosswalks, and a Daytona Speedway-themed crossing already painted over.
  • The crackdown follows Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s July SAFE ROADS guidance and Gov. Ron DeSantis’s stance against political messages on roads, with cities like Miami Beach and Key West facing Sept. 3–4 deadlines and warnings that the state will remove markings and bill them.