Ron DeSantis dismisses critics in fight over Pulse rainbow crosswalk

Without calling out Orlando officials by name, Gov. Ron DeSantis says some local governments are acting like they are above state law by allowing rainbow-colored crosswalks.

“It’s like they think that they should just be a law unto themselves,” DeSantis said at a press conference.

The state removed a crosswalk honoring the 49 murder victims at the Pulse nightclub memorial in Orlando last week. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) paved over the colors at night without giving city officials any advanced warning, sparking outrage and national headlines. 

Since then, some people have been recoloring the rainbows with chalk, while the state has utilized its resources by posting state troopers to guard the site and continuing to pave it black.

The rainbow crosswalk was added in 2017 to honor the victims of the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, which was an LGBTQ+ club on Orange Avenue near Orlando’s downtown skyline. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, though the grim milestone has since been surpassed. 

DeSantis argued that the state is taking similar action against Key West and Delray Beach during Tuesday’s remarks, one of the first times he has spoken out on the policy since the dispute in Orlando.

“I don’t know why you’d want to try to make a scene over it, but just understand this has been done across the state and it’s been done regardless of the messaging that’s been used,” DeSantis said. “We’ve made the policy decision in Florida. We’re not going to use the roads for that purpose. The roads are there for either pedestrians to cross or cars to go, and that’s what it’s going to be.”

Critics in Orlando pointed out that the rainbow crosswalks were established in 2017, noting that it required FDOT approval at the time. 

FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue argued that anything previously up “is irrelevant now” under the change in state law.

Central Florida officials and LGTBQ+ advocates are accusing DeSantis of trying to wash away and remove references to LGTBQ+ individuals. Meanwhile, state officials argue that removing the crosswalks isn’t political.

“It’s across the board. Pavement art is not allowed, and we’re removing everything that’s not compliant with state-federal standards,” Perdue said. “We did an inventory of more than 400 locations across the state, and it’s all kinds of art.”

DeSantis promoted road construction project updates at Tuesday’s Tampa press conference as part of his Moving Florida Forward initiative.