Local advocates repainting the city’s Progressive Pride Street Mural ahead of St Pete Pride 2025 (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent)
The Florida Department of Transportation issued a sweeping memo July 2 threatening to withhold funding from cities over any “pavement surface markings” that aren’t “uniform and consistent.”
One of the crosswalks at risk is part of the Pulse Remembrance Memorial, honoring the 49 lives with most of them being LGBTQ+ and Latinx. St. Petersburg’s Progressive Pride Street Mural may also be at risk.
Equality Florida responded to the news by telling supporters that Governor Ron DeSantis thinks rainbow crosswalks are a threat to roadway safety.
“This new rule invents the idea that someone might crash because their tires touched a crosswalk painted with colors,” Equality Florida said in a statement. “It’s so vague and sloppily written that it could be used to ban almost any pavement art with a cultural or symbolic meaning – from Pride art and Black Lives Matter graphics to holiday decorations. It’s absurd, and it’s dangerous.”
This follows the Trump Administration taking aim at rainbows and other “political banners” from streets and crosswalks across the nation.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter out to the nation’s governors July 1 introducing a “safety initiative” seeking consistent markings on roads. On a post on X that same day, he said taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.
“As stated in F.S. 316.0745, the Department has the authority to enforce compliance and withhold state funds from any public agency that is found to be in violation of the established standards for traffic control devices on public roadways,” the memo states.
In recent years, Orlando transportation officials have painted at least five major downtown crosswalks with artistic murals, which they say was part of their plan to increase visibility of crosswalks and hopefully improve safety for people crossing.
Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota also have inclusive street murals. Just last month, local advocates repainted the city’s Progressive Pride Street Mural ahead of St Pete Pride:
“Examples of non-complaint surface pavement would include any pavement markings that do not meet the color, shape, or dimensions provided in the MUTCD or FDOT Standard Plans; including elements such as Bicycle Symbols, Crosswalk markings, or other pavement surface art that is associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control,” the memo states.
Equality Florida is asking cities and counties from across the state to stand firm to defend inclusion and visibility. It is calling on DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation to reverse the memo.
A Florida-based study recently found that crosswalk murals contributed to a 10% decrease in drivers running stop signs and a 6% increase in drivers coming to a full stop at intersections.
