Multiple Florida cities are now facing deadlines in the coming days after being ordered to paint over or remove so-called rainbow crosswalks, brightly colored street crossings meant to celebrate gay rights and LGBTQ pride.<\/p>\n
In letters from the state transportation department, communities are being ordered to remove them by early next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am outraged by the State of Florida\u2019s decision to forcefully remove Pride crosswalks \u2014 symbols of love, support, and unity in our communities,\u201d Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese vibrant installations are more than paint on pavement. They reflect the values we hold dear in Miami-Dade: respect, appreciation of fellow neighbors, and the fundamental right to live and love openly,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The warnings to communities across Florida come after this week\u2019s removal of a rainbow-colored crossing marking the 2016 massacre<\/a> outside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were gunned down. It was painted over in the middle of the night<\/a> by work crews.<\/p>\n The issue has been simmering since a July 1 directive from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who gave U.S. governors 60 days<\/a> to identify what he called safety improvements.<\/p>\n \u201cRoads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,\u201d Duffy said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n The Federal Highway Administration said in a statement Friday to The Associated Press that Duffy \u201chas made every state receiving federal dollars responsible for identifying hazards on their roads.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday amplified those comments, saying on X: \u201cWe will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n A statement from the Florida Department of Transportation said the agency has a duty \u201cto ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat means ensuring our roadways are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n Efforts to remove the crosswalks are \u201cclearly an anti-LGBTQ push on behalf of both the federal government and the copycat version from the state government,\u201d said Rand Hoch, founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re basically blackmailing municipalities, counties and states by saying if you don\u2019t do this, we\u2019re going to withhold funding,\u201d Hoch said. \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n It is unclear whether other states and communities outside Florida are being ordered to remove rainbow crossings, but Florida is often the vanguard nationwide in fights over what some call the culture wars of politics. Those include battles over the removal of library books deemed inappropriate by DeSantis and other Republicans.<\/p>\n Officials in at least one major city outside the state \u2014 Lexington, Kentucky \u2014 responded to the federal guidance this week by saying they have no plans to remove their rainbow crosswalks.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no plans to cover them. When we put them in, we were careful to use a design that did not cause traffic concerns,\u201d said Craig Cammack, a city spokesman. \u201cWe feel it meets the federal requirements regarding crosswalks.\u201d<\/p>\n In Key West, Florida, state transportation officials said that if pavement markings in its historic downtown aren\u2019t removed by Sept. 3, \u201cthe Florida Department of Transportation will remove them by any appropriate method necessary without further notice.\u201d In a letter to Key West\u2019s city manager, federal authorities also threatened the \u201cimmediate withholding\u201d of state funds if it finds \u201cadditional violations.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aug. 15 letter to Key West leaders said that many local communities in Florida \u201cimmediately began undertaking actions to ensure compliance.\u201d It did not specify how many communities have cooperated or what steps they have taken.<\/p>\n