4 days ago
These Florida cities are defying a ban on rainbow-colored Pride crosswalks
Some South Florida cities are resisting new state and federal guidance that prohibits rainbow-colored intersections.
Why it matters: While other Florida cities acted quickly to remove their Pride-themed crosswalks and avoid violating the state's June 30 mandate, Key West and Delray Beach appear to be the first to push back against the DeSantis administration.
Any response from the state could influence how other cities with Pride-themed street art, like Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, decide to move forward.
The latest: Key West voted Aug. 6 to explore all legal avenues to preserve its popular rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Duval and Petronia streets, which the city says is one of the island's "most iconic and visited locations."
The city also voted to designate the crosswalks as a cultural landmark and the surrounding area as the "Historic Gayborhood of Key West," honoring the city's LGBTQ community.
In Delray Beach, the City Commission decided Tuesday to defy a previous order from the city manager and keep its painted Pride intersection — for now at least, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
After city manager Terrence Moore announced in July that the city "must adhere to state guidelines," commissioners this week said it would be premature to remove the crosswalk without receiving a direct order from the state.
Zoom in: Neither Miami Beach nor Fort Lauderdale have reacted to the mandate, and the cities' Pride street markings are still in place.
Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez tells Axios the city hasn't received any communication from the state, so there's "no action for the City Commission to take at this time."
Fernandez and other local leaders have slammed the state's argument that painted crosswalks are a traffic hazard.
What they're saying: Fernandez tells Axios that the city's Pride crosswalk on Ocean Drive and 12th Street met all safety standards when it was approved in 2018 and remains a safe intersection.
"From my perspective, if major work were ever done there in the future, that would be the time to review and consider any new regulation, just as we would with any other change to the traffic manual," Fernandez said.
"In the meantime, I believe this is a non-issue, a distraction, a solution in search of a problem."
Threat level: The mandate — which echoed guidance from the Trump administration on removing political messages from roadways — says noncompliant governments may lose state transportation funding.
Zoom out: Some cities, like St. Petersburg, have been contacted by Florida's Department of Transportation requesting a list of all painted crosswalks and other traffic infrastructure.
But St. Pete Mayor Kenneth Welch announced this week the city wouldn't take any action until it receives guidance from the state on whether certain public art can be exempted from the mandate.
