Under the cover of night, the state painted over the rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub — the site of the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in U.S. history — sparking outrage in Orlando and beyond.

That late-night erasure wasn’t an isolated act. Across Florida, cities are receiving orders to scrub away rainbow crosswalks — including Delray Beach, where officials are preparing to fight back.

“We’re not surprised that the state decided to double down on its threats to the city of Delray Beach,” said Rand Hoch, president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. “It just seems to be a pattern from the DeSantis administration to continue its efforts to erase anything positive that has to do with the LGBTQ+ community here in Florida.”

The DeSantis administration has directed cities across Florida to erase LGBTQ-themed street art, citing safety concerns. Yet Hoch points out there has been no evidence of accidents linked to Pride intersections.

The fight over Delray’s rainbow crosswalk goes beyond symbolism. At its core, it raises the question of whether local governments still have the authority to reflect their communities’ values. As Hoch notes, each time the cities are forced to back down, Tallahassee tightens its grip by eroding home rule and leaving municipalities with less power to represent the people who elected them.

Different Reactions Across the State

Cities are responding in their own ways — from quiet compliance to outright protest.

• Orlando - Volunteers used chalk to restore the crosswalk.
• West Palm Beach – Power-washed its faded Pride crosswalk but immediately announced plans for a rainbow-themed memorial in a nearby city-owned park.
• Boynton Beach –  Painted over its intersection but pledged to find another way to honor LGBTQ residents.
• Miami Beach – Appears ready to appeal the directive from the state.
• Fort Lauderdale – At an emergency meeting Aug. 27 the city vowed to fight back with the Mayor Dean Trantalis saying, “Tonight we must stand our ground. We cannot be bullied into submission.”
• Key West – Held a protest at the site of the crosswalk and announced plans to appeal the directive.

Brandon Wolf, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign and a survivor of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, connected the erasure of Pride crosswalks to a deeper wound.

“This art is more than a crosswalk; it’s a show of solidarity, a declaration that we will never forget the tragedy that tore our community apart,” he said. “The cowards who ordered this sneaky erasure should feel lucky that they didn’t have to watch their loved ones be gunned down — to pick flowers and caskets for their funerals — only for the state to come along and desecrate their memories.”

Delray, however, has opted to challenge the state at an administrative hearing set for Sept. 2 in Orlando.

Delray Beach Vice Mayor Rob Long has been at the forefront of the push, Hoch said, arguing the city’s design meets federal standards and that the state lacks authority over non-state roads.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis cut straight to the heart of the matter, calling the state’s actions part of a larger culture war.

“There seems to be an irrational vengeance on the part of the state to erase images that reflect the LGBTQ community,” he said Monday, as reported by the Sun Sentinel. “They will attempt different approaches. Right now, their approach is to invoke an obscure statute regarding traffic enforcement. But this isn’t really a pedestrian issue. This is a culture war. Let’s call it what it is.”

While rainbow crosswalks are drawing the most attention, the state appears intent on targeting all forms of street art.

Voices of Resistance

For younger activists, the fight over asphalt reflects a bigger struggle for visibility.

“Yesterday showed the impact of our community using their voice in every room where decisions are made about our lives,” said Maxx Fenning, executive director of PRISM, a nonprofit focused on sexual education for LGBTQ+ youth in South Florida. “It also showed that the petty antics of DeSantis and the Trump administration should be treated as what they are – unserious and unworthy of our compliance. Visibility matters everywhere. The classrooms we learn in, the media we consume, and even the crosswalks we walk on. We should protect it in every space it comes under attack. We will not be erased from the asphalt.”

The Bigger Picture

The dispute highlights what many local leaders see as the slow dismantling of home rule in Florida.

“Florida is a huge state, and we should not be subject to control of the whims of any particular governor's administration,” Hoch said. “But as they give up, as municipalities give up rights like they are being forced to do with the removal of public artwork, what's going to be left for them?”

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