Florida officials condemn removal of rainbow crosswalk honouring Pulse nightclub victims
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Google Maps
A rainbow crosswalk painted in Florida to commemorate the lives of the 2016 Pulse nightclub victims has been removed following a series of funding threats.
The street art was laid in 2017 by the state in honour of the 49 individuals who were tragically killed after a gunman opened fire in the LGBTQ+ venue in June.
At the time, the heartbreaking incident - which also saw 58 attendees severely wounded - marked the largest mass shooting in United States history.
According to the BBC, however, recent months have seen Sunshine State officials notified by the Department of Transportation that the failure to remove rainbow-coloured crosswalks could result in a loss of funding.
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In Florida, along with Orlando, the cities of Delray Beach, Key West, and St. Petersburg also received the same warning.
A letter sent by US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in July prohibited the painting of pavement art with 'social, political or ideological messages or images'.
He went on to argue that such landmarks 'do not serve the purpose of traffic control'.
"Political banners have no place on public roads," Duffy wrote on social media at the time. "Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks."
And this week, the department decided to have the Pulse nightclub victims' tribute painted over.
According to openly gay senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, the group had 'ripped' the rainbow memorial 'off of this city crosswalk' in the 'middle of the night'.
Standing atop the repainted road in a new video shared to X (formerly Twitter), Smith also claimed the transportation department had 'illegally vandalised city property without providing the city of Orlando notice or getting their approval'.
"They did this... because they were scared of the resistance because they know what they did was wrong," he continued.
"I cannot believe that the [Florida Governor Ron] DeSantis administration has engaged in this hostile act against the city of Orlando."
Republican politician DeSantis - who has previously faced criticism on his stance regarding the LGBTQ+ community, such as signing the 'Don't Say Gay' law in 2023 (via NBC News) - has since responded to the comments, writing on X: "We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes."
Despite this claim, Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer has since described the move as a 'cruel political act'.
Taking to social media, a 'devastated' Dyer wrote: "This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando's commitment to honour the 49 lives taken."
Senator, Smith has since promised the construction of a permanent memorial to the Pulse nightclub victims, saying: "There will be a rainbow mural nearby that is even bigger, queerer and more colorrful than they ever imagined."
LADbible Group has contacted DeSantis' office for additional comment.