Ron DeSantis defends repainting crosswalks, including the Pulse memorial

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the removal of all on-road decorations, even those promoting messages he supports. The move comes amid outrage after state officials erased a rainbow crosswalk honoring Pulse victims.

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"We’re not doing the commandeering of the roads to put up messaging,” the Republican Governor said at a press conference, as reported by The Orlando Sentinel. “We’ve made the policy decision in Florida that we’re not going to use the roads for that purpose.”

That follows an administrative rule change by the Department of Transportation abruptly outlawing any type of road decor, something the state, for years prior, has honored as safety enhancements.

The new directive means not only an end to rainbow crosswalks in Orlando and other venues but to trailway entrances, street murals, and even a "Back The Blue" street painting in Tampa that honors police, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

A week ago, the Florida Department of Transportation, in the middle of the night, painted over a crosswalk in Orlando adjacent to the Pulse nightclub. That was specifically authorized and approved by the Transportation Department under Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2017, months after a deadly mass shooting at a gay nightclub. A killer claiming allegiance to ISIS murdered 49 mostly gay and Latino victims.

Florida Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Florida’s first out Latine lawmaker, told The Advocate he’s stunned that the first crosswalk removed in the state had to be this one.

“What I’m taken aback be is that of all the rainbow crosswalks in Florida, Gov. DeSantis decided the crosswalk attached to the Pulse nightclub memorial was the example he wanted to make,” Smith said.

But Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue made clear that’s just a start. The state has already been engaged in legal action with other Florida cities about the forced removal of other sidewalks, but now will demand the elimination of more than 400 other roadway decorations.

“Pavement art is not allowed, and we’re removing everything that is not compliant with state and federal standards,” he said at a press conference.

DeSantis blamed part of the change on a law passed by the Legislature. But Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, whose district includes the Pulse site, noted the transportation package he referenced didn’t require the elimination of all road decorations. That came through a little-noticed administrative change.

“I want to make sure that press understand that there wasn’t some sort of bipartisan bill to eliminate crosswalk art. This was a new rule published by FDOT with very little (if any) public input,” she posted on X. “Maybe the Governor doesn’t know the difference between a law and a rule but I do.”

DeSantis also cited direction from U.S. Transportation Sean Duffy, who recently declared war on rainbow crosswalks nationwide.

“Now with the Trump administration, they’re very aggressive in saying the roads shouldn’t have the markings on them,” DeSantis said, deflecting responsibility to yet another party.

The crosswalk drama, which has made national headlines for a week, comes more than six years after DeSantis visited the Pulse site during his first year as Governor and safely made it across Esther Street despite the presence of the rainbow walkway.

“What has changed since it has been there for eight years? Nothing” Smith said. “But what has changed is he has been self-radicalized by his own political ambitions.”