Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has followed through on his ongoing campaign to erase LGBTQ+ visibility from public spaces, with state officials painting over the rainbow crosswalk at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub memorial under the cover of night.
According to News 6, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) removed the crosswalk late Wednesday. The rainbow tribute, installed in 2017, honoured the 49 lives lost during the Pulse nightclub shooting—at the time, the deadliest mass shooting in the US.
The crosswalk was also a key feature in the design of the permanent Pulse memorial, which recently received $400,000 in state funding.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer condemned the overnight removal, calling it a cruel and unnecessary act.
“We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue. 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 data, or discussion is a cruel political act,” Dyer said.
Florida State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, who represents much of Orlando, was equally furious, sharing a video from the site.
“FDOT illegally vandalised + ripped the rainbow colours off of Orlando’s city crosswalk in the middle of the night outside Pulse nightclub. This crosswalk was painted to honour the lives of 49 angels murdered here, AND to keep pedestrians here safe. A disgusting act of betrayal.”
DeSantis has a long track record of anti-LGBTQ+ policies, from the infamous Don’t Say Gay legislation to banning Pride displays on state infrastructure and targeting drag performances. After his failed 2024 presidential run, he aligned himself more closely with Donald Trump’s administration, which has accelerated its anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.
In July, Trump-appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued guidance urging governors to eliminate rainbow crosswalks and other “political” street markings, claiming they endangered drivers and pedestrians—though he provided no evidence.
“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” Duffy said, adding that “political banners have no place on public roads.”
Duffy’s remarks provided DeSantis the justification to launch a crackdown across Florida. Cities resisting the order have been met with threats: either remove rainbow crosswalks themselves or face FDOT doing it for them.
Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan, the city’s first openly gay elected official, criticised the action, saying:
“There is no reason that they should have removed it. It’s DeSantis and Trump who are making a political statement.”
The removal of the Pulse memorial crosswalk, once a symbol of remembrance and resilience, now stands as a pointed reminder of the political battle over LGBTQ+ representation in Florida.
