The Florida Transportation Department on Sunday once again painted over a rainbow crosswalk in Orlando that was part of the Pulse Memorial after protesters filled it in with multicolored chalk.
The Transportation Department initially painted the rainbow crosswalk black and white late Wednesday. The multicolored crosswalk was created in 2017 as part of a memorial for the 49 people fatally shot by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in 2016.
A spokesperson for the Transportation Department said in a statement Thursday that the department has a duty to “ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems” and therefore ensure “roadways are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests.”
The spokesperson added that the Transportation Department updated its Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices this year and that the update prohibits “non-uniform traffic control devices, such as pavement markings on state and local roads.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote Thursday on X, “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
Hundreds of protesters showed up at the crosswalk Thursday, many of them wearing rainbow flags, and used chalk to color the crosswalk rainbow again. Rain washed it away, but protesters have returned every day to color it back, even as Florida Highway Patrol troopers stood watch Sunday morning, according to NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando. The troopers said that protesters could use chalk on the road as long as they weren’t blocking traffic and that anyone using paint would be arrested immediately, WESH reported.
However, a Transportation Department crew returned to the crosswalk Sunday night to paint it black and white again, according to WESH, and transportation officials and Orlando police have been stationed at the crosswalk 24/7.
Brandon Wolf, who survived the Pulse nightclub shooting, wrote Monday on X: “More officers babysitting the crosswalk than there were security guards watching the front door of Pulse the night 49 people were murdered. By a lot.”
As the department plans to continue to paint over rainbow crosswalks across the state, protesters plan to respond. Demonstrations against the Transportation Department’s policy at rainbow crosswalks are planned in Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Miami Beach for Monday night, according to WPLG-TV of Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
“It’s an attempt to try to erase the presence of anything to do with the LGBTQ community,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said, according to WPLG.
