Overview

• Four people — Orestes Sebastian Suarez, Maryjane East, Donavon Short, and Zane Aparicio — were arrested by Florida Highway Patrol over chalking at the Pulse memorial crosswalk and later released with no charges pending.
• A judge found no probable cause in Suarez’s arrest, while a separate hearing found probable cause for the three later arrests, which were nonetheless released on recognizance pending any decision by the Orange‑Osceola state attorney.
• Those arrested were booked on allegations of defacing a traffic control device, a statute typically used for tampering with electronic signals, as their attorney argued the washable chalk caused no meaningful damage.
• FDOT repainted the rainbow memorial to standard markings and says updated guidance now bars non‑uniform pavement art on crosswalks, with similar removal orders issued to other Florida cities.
• Protests at the site continue under police presence, as state officials cite safety and uniformity and local analyses report decorative crosswalks in Orlando were associated with fewer pedestrian crashes.