Fort Lauderdale’s nearly yearlong battle to save its street art amid a statewide ban is coming to an end.
Commissioners authorized the legal retreat in a recent closed-door meeting with the city attorney and city manager, with instruction to drop all legal challenges.
The battle began in August 2025 after the state Department of Transportation said street designs were distracting to drivers. Street art from Key West to Orlando disappeared. But Fort Lauderdale stood its ground. Outside attorneys were hired and lawsuits were filed.
But now that Fort Lauderdale has decided to end its fight, the state will paint over street designs throughout the city — including a Pride-themed street mural at the beach.
On Tuesday, attorneys for the city and the legal team representing the state filed a joint stipulation of settlement and dismissal with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings advising the court that they have fully resolved all matters in the case and have executed a settlement agreement.
The judge closed the case Wednesday.
Days earlier, Fort Lauderdale held a June 20 news conference near the city’s fading rainbow-themed street art at the beach announcing the city plans to end its legal fight against the state.
At the same news conference, city officials unveiled a new “Circle of Love” Pride display on private property at Sebastian Street Plaza near State Road A1A.
The Kolter Group, developer of the nearby Selene condo, partnered with the city to create a permanent visual tribute to the LGBTQ+ community.
The new display is meant to serve as a visible symbol of inclusion, acceptance and community pride, city officials said.
Fort Lauderdale didn’t give up the fight, said Commissioner Steve Glassman, whose district includes the new “Circle of Love” display.
“I don’t look at it like that,” Glassman said Thursday. “From a practical standpoint, we got what we wanted. We were able to create a really cool Pride circle, the ‘Circle of Love.’ It’s not on city or state roads. It’s on private property. I think all things considered, we did very well. And we move on.”
Any regrets?
“Absolutely no regrets,” Glassman said. “We stood up for our city. We stood up for the concept of home rule. We stood up for our values. And we took a stand. And that’s absolutely what you have to do sometimes.”
By taking a stand, Fort Lauderdale showed the world what it’s made of, Glassman said.
“It is important for us as a city to make sure everyone knows what we stand for as a community,” he said. “We are a welcoming, inclusive city. If any one group is attacked, we are all attacked.”
Mayor Dean Trantalis argues the city was not taking on the state.
“We were defending actions the state perpetrated on us,” he said. “We did not initiate this process. The state went after us. We were defending ourselves.”
Critics have questioned whether it was worth all the expense.
The city does not yet have a final tally of the legal bills, Trantalis said.
“What price justice, what price fairness?” he said. “We represent a large number of people whose dignity and very existence was being questioned and put at risk. We are trying to respect the diversity of the people who live here.”
Correction: An earlier version of this news article misstated when commissioners authorized a legal retreat in the street-art battle. That happened during a recent closed-door meeting.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan