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8h ago

Florida Escalates Crackdown on Decorative Crosswalks as Cities Mount Appeals

State officials cite a new safety standard following a July federal directive.

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 repainting 14 decorative crossings to standard markings today to meet a Sept. 4 deadline after FDOT flagged 18 sites as noncompliant.
  • Fort Lauderdale’s commission voted unanimously to appeal the state order and authorized outside counsel, signaling a potential court fight despite warnings about funding risks.
  • State crews twice repainted the Pulse memorial crossing in Orlando to black-and-white, and police have been posted at the site to deter residents from restoring rainbow colors.
  • FDOT says previously permitted installations must be removed under a new standard, with reports citing roughly 400 projects statewide, including student-designed bike-lane art the agency promoted in May and green safety crosswalks.
  • Miami Beach faces a Sept. 4 deadline and Key West a Sept. 3 cutoff as the state warns it may remove markings and withhold transportation funds for continued violations.