The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has ignited a statewide controversy after issuing orders to multiple cities—including Gainesville, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale—to remove rainbow crosswalks and other Pride-themed street art or risk losing millions in state and federal transportation funding. The directive, which comes with strict deadlines and the threat of state intervention, has sparked protests, fierce debate, and accusations of political targeting against the LGBT community.
On August 21, 2025, FDOT District 2 Secretary Greg Evans sent a letter to the city of Gainesville, giving officials until September 4 to remove three rainbow crosswalks from downtown streets. According to Mainstreet Daily News, Evans praised the city’s prior agreement to comply but made it clear that if Gainesville failed to act by the deadline, FDOT would remove the crosswalks themselves and bill the city for the cost. "If we do not hear from you, the pavement markings referenced above will be removed by the Department of Transportation without further notice," Evans warned.
The pressure on Gainesville is not unique. Just one day later, on August 22, FDOT issued similar 14-day removal notices to Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, home to some of the state’s most iconic rainbow crosswalks. The cities were told that noncompliance would result in the loss of critical transportation funds. The Miami Beach crosswalk at 12th Street and Ocean Drive, installed in 2018, is especially well-known—both as a symbol of inclusivity and as a tourist landmark. Despite FDOT’s claims that such artwork poses a safety hazard, city data shows the intersection has seen just 15 accidents in seven years, fewer than at neighboring intersections.
Miami Beach City Commissioner Alex Fernandez was quick to push back, calling the rainbow crosswalk “a symbol of safety and inclusivity.” He told the press, “We must appeal the state’s order. If the state denies our appeal, then we need to consider all of our options…to protect the rights of our community, to protect the visibility.”
Fort Lauderdale’s mayor, Dean Trantalis, echoed these sentiments after FDOT ordered the removal of Pride-themed art near Sebastian Beach and at three other locations. “We know this has nothing to do with traffic safety,” Trantalis said. “This has everything to do with eliminating the visibility of the LGBT community.”
FDOT’s crackdown is rooted in a May 2025 memo that banned surface pavement art tied to “social, political, or ideological messages” that do not serve a traffic control purpose. The department claims such markings can distract drivers or confuse pedestrians, endangering public safety. Yet, critics say the move is part of a broader cultural and political battle over LGBT representation in public spaces. As Gainesville Commissioner James Ingle put it at a recent meeting, “It’s all part of a culture war being waged.”
Protests erupted in Gainesville during the week of August 18-23, with residents rallying to defend the crosswalks and what they represent. City officials, while expressing frustration, have largely agreed to comply with FDOT’s order—though not without a plan to salvage the bricks for future memorials or projects. Mayor Harvey Ward told Mainstreet Daily News that he would hate for the city to pause the work, thinking FDOT had given it time, and then "show up one morning and find the crosswalks gone." Ward emphasized the need for control over the process, stating, “We plan to remove the crosswalks per the instructions of FDOT, and I don’t think this changes anything. I think it’s very clear that there’s no leeway on this.”
FDOT’s letter did offer Gainesville a hearing to challenge the removal decision, but Evans made clear that “the hearing will not involve a request for an exception or waiver to permit the nonconforming pavement markings to remain in place.” The city has 14 days from the August 21 notice to request a hearing, but must provide detailed legal and factual justification—an option Mayor Ward dismissed as “a wild goose chase.”
The state’s actions have already had visible effects elsewhere. In Orlando, FDOT crews painted over the rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub, the site of the 2016 mass shooting that killed 49 people. Local residents responded by restoring the colors with chalk, underscoring the deep emotional resonance these symbols hold for many Floridians.
FDOT’s new directive goes beyond rainbow crosswalks. In Gainesville, for example, the department’s transportation planning manager, Achaia Brown, explained that even custom markings previously created or approved by FDOT—such as bike boulevard symbols—must now be removed. “We’re all being impacted by this new action,” Brown told the Gainesville Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization. Around the city, large green rectangles with white bike symbols in vehicle lanes will also disappear.
For many local leaders, the state’s justification rings hollow. Commissioner Casey Willits remarked that it was helpful to know FDOT projects were included, but suggested these were “collateral in a push against LGBT markings, like the rainbow crosswalks.” Mayor Ward, meanwhile, insisted the actions have “nothing to do with safety” and called for a multifaceted local response. “It needs to be multiple next steps,” Ward said. “We need to be like water. We need to find more and more and more and different ways to embrace our entire community.”
In Miami Beach, the city’s appeal is expected to test the state’s resolve. Commissioner Fernandez described the removal order as "a dangerous path forward," warning that “to start chipping away at these symbols” sends a troubling message about tolerance and acceptance. Fort Lauderdale’s Mayor Trantalis went further, urging state officials to focus on pressing issues like affordable insurance, homelessness, and housing instead of targeting LGBT visibility. “Honestly I wish the state would focus more on affordable insurance, homelessness, and finding affordable housing,” he said.
For now, cities like Gainesville, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale are left weighing their options—caught between state and federal pressure on one side, and the passionate defense of community symbols on the other. While some city leaders are resigned to comply, others are preparing appeals and considering creative ways to keep the spirit of inclusivity alive, even if the crosswalks themselves must go. As the September 4 deadline looms for Gainesville and the 14-day notices tick down elsewhere, Florida’s fight over rainbow crosswalks is shaping up to be a defining battle over public space, local autonomy, and the meaning of visibility in the Sunshine State.
As this standoff continues, the outcome could set a precedent for how cities across the country balance state authority, federal funding, and the right to celebrate diversity in public spaces.
