Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the state’s eradication of LGBTQ+ rainbow crosswalks on Tuesday, and said recalcitrant cities will be forced to get with the program.
He criticized two cities, Delray Beach and Key West, where city leaders have said they want to fight the state edict and keep rainbow crosswalks to show support for their LGBTQ+ communities.
“It’s like they think that they should just be a law unto themselves,” DeSantis said, adding, “You’re always gonna have the Key Wests of the world that are going to virtue signal. That’s just what they do.”
Ultimately, he said, the LGBTQ+ markings will be eliminated, along with many other kinds of decorative street markings that Florida no longer allows.
Removal of the rainbow flag crosswalks has generated outrage, peaceful protests and even non-violent civil disobedience.
In Orlando, last week people repainted the rainbow crosswalk near the site of the 2016 massacre at the Pulse LGBTQ+ nightclub. In Fort Lauderdale, rainbow color schemes were reportedly painted outside two Florida Department of Transportation offices.
And demonstrators gathered Monday evening at Sebastian Street, which is painted like the rainbow progress pride flag near Fort Lauderdale beach, and at the rainbow-painted bridge that links Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors.
The moves against non-rainbow street markings haven’t gotten as much attention, but they’ve dismayed city leaders and schoolchildren, and sparked outrage from an artist whose work was approved by the state Department of Transportation — but is now on the state list of targets for elimination.
Among them: Pompano Beach, which has been ordered to remove decorative crosswalks.
Mayor Rex Hardin said via email the city has “been informed that we must remove several pieces of asphalt art that are located around our City Hall/Cultural Center complex. Simple colorful geometric designs. Musical Note crosswalks. Nothing having any political or ideological overtones.”
He said it was a “sad day in Florida when the government tries to do away with Public Art programs around the State.”
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If Pompano Beach doesn’t comply, Hardin said the city was given the same order that went to other communities: the Florida Department of Transportation will do the work, and bill the city for the cost.
Robin Haines Merrill, the artist commissioned to design two decorative crosswalks on Breakers Avenue near Fort Lauderdale beach, said she would fight their removal. She worked with the state on approval of designs and colors and said they had “full FDOT approval.”
In a social media post, she wrote that as an artist, “I maintain full legal rights to my Artwork, Design and Concept. Legally, no one is allowed to alter, damage or remove my artwork without express approval from me, and with my involvement. The City, State or Federal Government may NOT remove my artwork from the streets, without my involvement and full approval.”
In a flourish that mimics the capital letters and a frequent ending line from President Donald Trump’s social media posts, Merrill added: “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! -RHM”
DeSantis, who signed legislation into law that is being used to implement the ban on non-approved street painting, was not sympathetic to people who support street art — including schoolchildren who reportedly painted a crosswalk as part of a state-approved project.
“So what I would tell kids is we have a, you know, representative system of government. People elect their representatives. They’re able to enact the legislation with the governor’s signature and then when that happens, then obviously people will conform their conduct accordingly,” DeSantis in response to a question at a news conference in Tampa.
When first asked about the state ordering removal of intersections that the state has approved, DeSantis called his state transportation secretary, Jared Perdue, to the lectern to answer.
Perdue said the Department of Transportation’s past approval makes no difference today.
“Anything that was previously permitted or installed or awarded, anything you can bring up from the past, essentially is irrelevant now because we have a new law and we have a new standard, and we’re simply implementing that standard and it’s across the board,” Perdue said. “Pavement art is not allowed and we’re removing everything that’s not compliant with state federal standards and that’s the approach that we’re taking.”
This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Political writer Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
