Vandals delivered a bold message to the Florida Department of Transportation after painting rainbow crosswalks outside two of its offices in Broward County — the very thing that the state agency is ordering cities to remove.
7News cameras captured a section of a sidewalk painted with the colors of the rainbow outside the door of FDOT’s Broward Operations Center, located on Northwest Ninth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Saturday evening. Next to the colors, a message written on the pavement reads, “Pulse — you will not erase us.”
Video shows a crosswalk on the property of FDOT District 4 on Commercial Boulevard in Oakland Park, now in rainbow colors. The word “Pulse” is also written underneath with a heart next to it.
The messages are a reference to FDOT’s removal of a rainbow crosswalk in front of a memorial honoring the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Forty-nine people were killed in the 2016 massacre.
Demonstrators took to the streets of Orlando on Thursday after the removal of the crosswalk.
“Whose streets? Our streets,” chanted protesters.
FDOT’s move is being condemned and has sparked a public outcry across the state.
“It’s not a crosswalk, it’s a memorial that is a memorial of one of the worst mass shootings we’ve had in this country to date,” said Rob Millerick, who opposes the removal of the crosswalks.
In response to criticism from state senators, Gov. Ron DeSantis posted a message on X Thursday that reads, “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
The directive stems from a June memo by FDOT leaders addressing safety concerns over pavement markings, prohibiting surface art on crosswalks or sidewalks associated with political ideologies.
And now the clock is ticking for some cities across Florida, including Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Both received letters from FDOT on Thursday saying rainbow-colored crosswalks have to be removed by Sept. 4 or they could lose state funding.
“People from around the world come to Miami Beach because we are a beacon of safety, of inclusivity, and that’s what that rainbow sidewalk symbolizes,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez.
Leaders in both cities said they plan to appeal.
Speaking with 7News on Friday, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis did not mince words.
“This is a very transparent attempt to try to eliminate the visibility of the LGBTQ community,” he said.
“To come now and to strip this away from people when it’s a safe crosswalk sends a message of insecurity, sends a message of intolerance to people that need to be supported and elevated more than ever,” said Fernandez.
Officials with FDOT and law enforcement agencies didn’t immediately respond to 7News’ requests for comment.