Florida's Pride crosswalk crackdown expected to hit South Beach next, city says
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Rainbow flags are flown at the annual Pride parade on Ocean Drive. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Florida transportation officials are expected to order Miami Beach to remove its LGBTQ Pride crosswalk on Ocean Drive, citing a new ban on street art, city officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: City leaders are raising the alarm after Key West and Delray Beach received orders from the Florida Department of Transportation last week to paint over their rainbow-colored intersections by Sept. 3.
The latest: City spokesperson Melissa Berthier tells Axios the city expects to receive a letter ordering the removal of its Pride crosswalk on Ocean Drive and 12th Street, but had not yet received one as of Wednesday morning.
- "Once we do get the letter that outlines our options, we will determine next steps," Berthier wrote in a statement.
- An FDOT spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
What they're saying: "This is complete and utter bulls*** that the state has no business getting involved in," Commissioner Joseph Magazine posted in a resident Facebook group Tuesday night.
- He said the city "just received word from FDOT that we are required to remove all 'artistic crosswalks,' specifically the rainbow colored crosswalk on Ocean Drive..."
- Magazine said the crosswalk, installed in 2018, "was a welcome symbol for everyone" and "bothered no one."
Commissioner Alex Fernandez, the city's only openly gay elected leader, has rebutted arguments from state and federal transportation leaders that street art can distract drivers.
- "Our Pride crosswalk was properly approved, it is safe, and it reflects the values of inclusion that define Miami Beach...," he wrote. "And we will not allow safety to be used as a cover for censorship or for erasing a symbol that represents love, visibility and equality."
Threat level: The June 30 state mandate — which echoed guidance from the Trump administration on removing political messages from roadways — says noncompliant governments may lose state transportation funding.
- "Non-standard surface markings, signage and signals … can lead to distractions or misunderstandings, jeopardizing both driver and pedestrian safety," the FDOT memo says.
What's next: In its letters to Key West and Delray Beach, FDOT officials have given the cities the option to contest the order at hearings in September.
- Both Fernandez and Magazine said the city should challenge the order, if and when it is received.
Magazine also proposed placing rainbow-colored park benches in Lummus Park, which he said he would purchase himself and invite the community to paint.
- The benches would feature the "same rainbow design... as the crosswalk that we are losing."