MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Florida’s battle over rainbow crosswalks has come to Miami Beach.
State officials are demanding the removal of Pride-themed art in Miami Beach and elsewhere, but some South Florida cities are defying the orders.
7News cameras on Thursday captured the rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of Ocean Drive and 12th Street.
For some local residents, it’s more than multi-colored paint on pavement.
“This makes me feel welcome. I myself am part of the LGBTQ community, so I love this, and I’m glad that I can speak on it,” said Queen, a passerby who opposes the crosswalk’s removal. “No, we should keep this, we need this.”
But now the Florida Department of Transportation has ordered these rainbow crosswalks be erased in a matter of weeks.
“I don’t see what harm it’s doing for anyone or anything, so it’s kist a little like – it seems attacking in a way, so I don’t like that, I’m not appreciative of that,” said passerby Margaret Gaspard.
On Thursday, the City of Miami Beach got a letter from FDOT saying they have to remove the rainbow colored crosswalk by Sept. 4, or they’ll strip it themselves and withhold state funds if the city does not comply.
But some city commissioners said this stretch of pavement is too important, and they’re fighting back by filing an appeal.
“We need to resist this action. We need to protect the individuality of our community, the freedom and the safety that our rainbow crosswalk expresses to the world,” said Commissioner Alex Fernandez.
“I want to show our community, the members, that this is so important, too, that we hear them loud and clear,” said Commissioner Joe Magazine. “We are here to fight for them, and we will always stand up for equality.”
The removal orders stem from a June memo from FDOT leaders prohibiting surface art on crosswalks or sidewalks associated with political ideologies.
While Miami Beach’s symbol of Pride remains, the rainbow crosswalk outside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, honoring the 49 victims killed in the 2016 mass shooting, was painted over overnight Thursday.
Florida State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith condemned the move.
“In the middle of the night, ripped the rainbow colors off of this city crosswalk,” said Smith in a video.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded on social media, saying, “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
7News spoke with Rob Millerick at Shoppes of Wilton Manors, near the city’s Rainbow Bridge. He lived in Orlando when the Pulse shooting took place.
“It was a really hard night, and just time for everyone in this state and that city and our community, and to do it overnight and think that you’re just going to get away with it is extremely disrespectful to those families,” said Florida State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith.
Millerick fears places like the Rainbow Bridge could be next.
But other cities are also pushing back to keep their pieces of Pride on the street — including Delray Beach and Key West.
“It’s just frustrating, and it’s really disheartening,” said Millerick.
Miami Beach leaders said it could cost thousands of dollars to replace the rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive — costs that the state says will have to come out of the city’s pockets.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
