St. Pete fears rainbow street art could be next after Pulse removal in Orlando
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The crosswalk leading to Orlando's Pulse nightclub, seen before and after the state removed its rainbow coloring. Photos: Jeff Weiner/Axios
In an escalation of Gov. Ron DeSantis' war on pavement art, state officials quietly removed a rainbow crosswalk outside Pulse, the former LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando that's now a memorial to the 49 patrons shot and killed there in 2016.
Why it matters: "Communities across Florida, including ours, should be prepared for similar actions," St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said in a statement Thursday.
State of play: The rainbow crosswalk was removed sometime overnight Wednesday into Thursday with no notice to local officials, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
- Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a statement that state officials were responsible for the removal, which DeSantis appeared to confirm Thursday afternoon with a post on X: "We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes."
What they're saying: "I'm thoroughly disgusted," St. Pete Pride board president Byron Green-Calisch told Axios.
- Since the state issued the new guidance in June, he said, he's been worried that St. Pete's murals "being covered up in the cloak of night was a possibility."
- That the Pulse crosswalk was the first to meet that fate, he said, "is just deplorable."
The other side: FDOT "completed a review of all state-maintained roadways and is now correcting pavement markings not in compliance," spokesperson Michael Williams said in a statement.
- He did not address Axios' questions about the timing of the removal or provide data backing up the state's assertions that such artwork makes roads less safe.
Zoom out: Since state and federal transportation officials put local governments on notice last month, some cities immediately removed their asphalt art while others, like Key West and Delray Beach in South Florida, refused.
- The latter communities were given until Sept. 3 to take action before the state removes them, per a Florida Department of Transportation memo issued last week.
- Orlando officials hadn't received any communication from FDOT in recent weeks, Commissioner Patty Sheehan told the Sentinel.
Zoom in: Neither has St. Pete, city spokesperson Samantha Bequer told Axios this week.
- Mayor Ken Welch previously said in a statement that the city "will wait for a determination from FDOT prior to taking any additional action."
- On Thursday, Welch called the state's decision in Orlando "deeply disappointing" but noted that it falls within the state's authority.
The intrigue: City transportation and parking management director Evan Mory also sent a letter Wednesday asking FDOT to spare the Progress Pride flag and four other street art installations, per the Tampa Bay Times.
- He noted that traffic crashes declined 70% at one of the intersections where street art was installed.
Between the lines: While the Pulse crosswalk abuts South Orange Avenue, a state road, St. Pete's Progress Pride flag intersection is painted on a city-owned portion of Central Avenue, said Whit Blanton, executive director of transportation planning agency Forward Pinellas.
- The intersecting road, 25th Street, is also city-owned, Blanton said.
Yes, but: State officials said they're taking inventory of all public roads, regardless of which level of government owns them, Blanton said.
- "I don't know that it not being on a state road helps a whole lot," he said.
What's next: St. Pete's Housing, Land Use and Transportation committee is set to discuss the issue at the next meeting, at 8:30am Sept. 11.
Editor's note: This story was updated to add a response from FDOT that was provided after initial publication.