{"id":374,"date":"2025-08-21T20:56:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T20:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/?p=374"},"modified":"2025-09-09T12:26:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T12:26:57","slug":"florida-removes-rainbow-crosswalk-outside-pulse-nightclub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/21\/florida-removes-rainbow-crosswalk-outside-pulse-nightclub\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida removes rainbow crosswalk outside Pulse nightclub"},"content":{"rendered":"

A rainbow crosswalk near Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., honoring the victims of one of the nation\u2019s deadliest mass shootings<\/a> was painted over late Wednesday after close to a decade, part of a state and nationwide effort to scrub \u201cpolitical banners\u201d from public roads. <\/p>\n

The Pulse Memorial\u2019s crosswalk, first painted in 2017, honored the 49 people killed in 2016 when a gunman opened fire at Pulse, an LGBTQ-friendly nightclub. The city of Orlando purchased the site in 2023, planning to demolish the building, which has been closed since 2016, and construct a permanent memorial in its place. <\/p>\n

Florida state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D), who in 2016 became the first openly gay Latino elected to the Legislature, called the crosswalk\u2019s removal a \u201cdisgusting betrayal\u201d in a post on the social platform X<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cOf course they did this in the middle of the night,\u201d Smith said Thursday in a nearly two-minute-long video in front of the painted-over crosswalk, \u201cbecause they knew what they were doing is wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), responding to Smith\u2019s video<\/a>, said, \u201cWe will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.\u201d <\/p>\n

In June, DeSantis omitted references<\/a> to LGBTQ and Hispanic people \u2014 communities disproportionately affected by the Pulse shooting \u2014 in an annual order honoring the tragedy\u2019s victims. DeSantis recognized both groups in nearly identical orders issued during each of his last five years in office. <\/p>\n

In 2019, his first year as governor, DeSantis issued an amended proclamation after an initial statement honoring Pulse Remembrance Day that also declined to mention LGBTQ people. DeSantis at the time said he was not involved in drafting the first proclamation and requested that his office issue a new one once he became aware of the omission. <\/p>\n

The state\u2019s decision to remove the rainbow crosswalk at Pulse comes as President Trump\u2019s administration doubles down on efforts against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives<\/a> and transgender rights<\/a>. In July, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy instructed governors to produce a list of \u201carterial segments,\u201d including intersections, in each state. <\/p>\n

\u201cTaxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,\u201d Duffy said on social media<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Florida officials in recent months have instructed cities throughout the state to remove rainbow-painted crosswalks and intersections or risk losing transportation funding. In June, Will Watts, an assistant secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation, wrote in a memo that \u201csurface art\u201d not directly contributing to traffic safety \u201ccan lead to distractions or misunderstandings, jeopardizing both driver and pedestrian safety.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAny identified non-compliant traffic control devices or pavement markings currently installed on Florida public roads are to be immediately remedied, i.e., removed, modified or replaced,\u201d Watts wrote in the memo. He mentioned specifically surface art \u201cassociated with social, political or ideological messages or images.\u201d <\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a> posted Thursday to social media, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, a Democrat, said the city is \u201cdevastated\u201d by the crosswalk\u2019s removal. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nation\u2019s largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety data or discussion, is a cruel political act,\u201d Dyer said. \u201cThe City of Orlando\u2019s safety crosswalks were all installed in close coordination with the state and adhere to national safety standards. In fact, the crosswalk that is part of the Pulse Memorial was installed by the state.\u201d <\/p>\n

Michael Williams, communications director for Florida\u2019s Transportation Department, told The Hill in an email late Thursday that the department recently completed \u201ca review of all state-maintained roadways and is now correcting pavement markings not in compliance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat includes street art previously installed on state right of way, such as the\u00a0intersection of Orange Avenue in question,\u201d he said, referring to the Pulse Memorial\u2019s crosswalk. <\/p>\n

\u201cTransportation infrastructure is for the movement of people and goods. In this case, while the crosswalk has been restored to its proper form, local efforts are underway to construct a permanent memorial on adjacent properties funded by the State of Florida,” he added. “Any attempt to suggest otherwise is false.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the Pulse shooting, also condemned the crosswalk\u2019s removal. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the dark of night, they came to erase our show of solidarity, our declaration that we will never forget,\u201d Wolf wrote Thursday on X<\/a>. \u201cThe cowards who feel threatened by our lives should feel lucky they didn\u2019t have to bury the ones they love \u2014 then watch the state come & desecrate their memory.\u201d <\/p>\n

Wolf, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation\u2019s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, lost two close friends, Drew Leinonen and Juan Guerrero, in the shooting at Pulse. <\/p>\n

The state LGBTQ rights group Equality Florida said it plans to gather peacefully at the Pulse Memorial on Thursday evening, calling or Floridians across the state to \u201cmake their visibility undeniable\u201d with rainbow stickers, clothing and flags and by using the hashtag #ShowYourRainbow on social media. <\/p>\n

In a news release<\/a>, the organization called on cities throughout Florida to install \u201cpermanent exhibits of LGBTQ visibility.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades, Florida politicians have tried to criminalize LGBTQ existence, dismantle families, and create a climate where violence is normalized. Monuments, murals, and rainbow crosswalks are not just symbols; they are powerful celebrations of LGBTQ existence,\u201d the group said. \u201cThey are our commitment to remember, and our promise that these harms will not be inflicted again.\u201d <\/p>\n

Updated at 9:05 p.m. EDT. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A rainbow crosswalk near Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., honoring the victims of one of the nation\u2019s deadliest mass shootings was painted over late Wednesday after close to a decade, part of a state and nationwide effort to scrub \u201cpolitical banners\u201d from public roads.  The Pulse Memorial\u2019s crosswalk, first painted in 2017, honored the 49 people killed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globaltalentholding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}