Overview

• Florida’s transportation department acknowledged repainting over the state-installed 2017 Pulse memorial crossing overnight and gave Orlando a Sept. 4 deadline to remove 18 additional decorative crosswalks.
• Removal orders and deadlines also went to cities such as Key West, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Delray, with warnings of withheld funds or state crews doing the work and billing local governments.
• Officials cite updated Florida provisions aligned with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and a July 1 directive from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calling for distraction-free, uniform markings.
• Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the move as keeping roads free of political messages, while Orlando leaders, survivors and LGBTQ advocates condemned the erasure and residents briefly restored the colors with chalk.
• FDOT described the action as procedural for safety and noted a separate permanent memorial beside the site is moving forward with state funding, a rationale that local critics contest.