Daytona International Speedway has been told its checkered-flag crosswalks have to go as Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Trump administration push a crackdown on street art.
The racing-themed pattern will be redone so the crossings conform with new standards, Speedway officials said they were told by the state.
The decorative crosswalks near the racetrack are used by thousands of race fans during the Daytona 500 and other marquee events in what’s been nicknamed the World Center of Racing.
Jared Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, said his agency has flagged more than 400 locations across the state with all kinds of street art for review.
“Pavement art is not allowed, and we are removing everything that is not compliant with state, federal standards,” he said at an event in Tampa. “That’s the approach we are taking.”
The department did not respond to inquiries about Daytona Beach’s checkered crosswalks. .
Susan Cerbone, a spokeswoman for Daytona Beach, said she also heard the checkered crosswalks are to be painted over, but she has not seen written notification from FDOT.
President Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, walks before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Last week, state transportation officials painted over a rainbow crosswalk near the Pulse memorial commemorating 49 people who were killed in a 2016 mass shooting at the popular gay nightclub. The removal came after a July 1 directive from Sean Duffy, President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, stressing the need to keep crosswalks “free from distractions.”
“Roads are for safety not political messages or artwork,” Melissa Braid, a spokeswoman for the Federal Highway Administration, said in a statement this week. “The Secretary has made every state receiving federal dollars responsible for identifying hazards on their roads.”
It’s not just rainbow crosswalks being targeted. Street art slated for removal in Tampa includes a “back the blue” mural painted by law enforcement supporters. Orlando was notified it must remove 18 colorful crosswalks and street art, including downtown beautification street murals. Seminole County is repainting its high-visibility green crosswalks to black and white.
Trump is familiar with the Daytona speedway. He attended the Daytona 500 in February, his second time as president .
Daytona Beach and the Speedway hailed the checkered crosswalks in a 2021 social media post.
“This project has given us another way to share the racing excitement just ahead of the start of NASCAR’s season right here in its hometown of Daytona Beach,” Chip Wile, the Speedway’s president at the time, said in the announcement.
