Florida Removed the Pulse Memorial Rainbow Crosswalk Under the Guise of ‘Safety’

“There are so many crosswalks and intersections painted all throughout Orlando,” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost told Jezebel. “But he [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis] picked this one on purpose.”

By Audra Heinrichs  |  August 23, 2025 | 10:04am
Photo: Twitter LatestPolitics
Florida Removed the Pulse Memorial Rainbow Crosswalk Under the Guise of ‘Safety’

On Thursday, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to any further expansion of “Alligator Alcatraz,” the South Florida Detention Facility (read: concentration camp) that currently houses some 700 detainees. Not because it’s unethical, unfit for all living creatures, and unnecessarily cruel, but because it violated environmental laws due to the “irreparable damage” done to the state’s fragile Everglades. It’s an infuriating ruling, but a small win nonetheless. However, it was soon followed by a major loss.

Sometime in the early hours of Friday, the famed Pulse Memorial rainbow was painted over. The memorial honored the 49 people who were fatally shot by a gunman in 2016 at Pulse, an LGBTQ+ nightclub. At that time, it was the largest mass shooting in the country (the 2017 Las Vegas shooting is currently the largest). The crosswalk was painted one year later in 2017.

The removal follows the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) updated guidelines, which they published in July, and stated were meant to prohibit what they deem to be nonuniform “traffic control devices”—like pavement markings. If local governments refuse to comply, the department has threatened to withhold funds.

“There are so many crosswalks and intersections painted all throughout Orlando. We’re a very artistic city, but he [Florida Governor Ron DeSantis] picked this one on purpose,” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost told Jezebel. “It’s about control and trying to assert his dominance and authority on our people.”

In an emailed statement to NBC, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation wrote that the removal of the rainbow was to “ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems” and ensure “roadways are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests.”

“FDOT completed a review of all state-maintained roadways and is now correcting pavement markings not in compliance. That includes street art previously installed on state right of way, such as the intersection of Orange Avenue in question,” the statement continued. “In this case, while the crosswalk has been restored to its proper form, local efforts are underway to construct a permanent memorial on adjacent properties funded by the State of Florida.”

Of course, FDOT is simply acting in accordance with the Trump administration, who—on July 1—issued a memorandum to the states that said they had 60 days to study crosswalks at intersections and create a list of “compliance concerns” as part of his “Safe Roads” initiative. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy wrote in an accompanying statement: “Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork.” Last week, the Ohio State University made headlines when it became one of the first universities to adhere to the new initiative and banned students from chalking sidewalks on campus.

“This callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nation’s largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety or discussion, is a cruel political act,” Mayor Buddy Dyer wrote on Twitter. Brandon Wolf, one of the Pulse shooting’s surviving victims, called the removal a desecration of the victims’ memory.

“In the dark of night, they came to erase our show of solidarity, our declaration that we will never forget,” Wolf tweeted. “The cowards who feel threatened by our lives should feel lucky they didn’t have to bury the ones they love—then watch the state come & desecrate their memory.”

Meanwhile, in an email to Jezebel, a spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis refused to comment but referred to his statement on Twitter. “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.” As of now, Duffy’s office hasn’t returned Jezebel’s request for comment, but he did tweet the following on July 1: “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”

By Friday at noon, the rainbow was somewhat restored by citizens. In a video posted on Twitter by @jeremy_rodrigue, several people used chalk to draw the colors back onto the crosswalk.

What can be said other than this: The attempted removal of a memorial dedicated to the lives lost and impacted by one of the deadliest mass shootings (and a proven hate crime) in history under the guise of “safety” is not just disgusting. It’s distinctly American. I don’t know about you all, but I’ll happily contribute to a lifetime supply of paint just to ensure that rainbow remains.

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