Orlando’s Pulse memorial rainbow crosswalk painted over in ‘callous’ overnight act

The rainbow-colored crosswalk outside Pulse nightclub in Orlando was painted over Wednesday night, without any prior notice or warning, according to city officials.

The Florida Department of Transportation, a state agency that has ordered the removal of rainbow crosswalks in other Florida cities in recent weeks, confirmed late Thursday night that they were indeed the culprit behind the overnight paint job.

“We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a statement. “This callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nation’s largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety data or discussion, is a cruel, political act.”

The rainbow crosswalk, first installed in 2017, served as both a safety measure and a memorial, according to city officials. The crosswalk was painted outside the property of the former gay nightclub Pulse, the site of a mass shooting in 2016 that killed 49 people, many of whom were young, LGBTQ+ people of color.

Florida Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a gay state legislator representing parts of Orlando, described the removal of the crosswalk Thursday as a “terrible insult” and a “hostile act.”

“The reality is that this crosswalk was painted not only to remember the 49 people who were murdered here in cold blood, but it was also intended to keep pedestrians and visitors safe who have come here year after year to pay their respects,” Smith told Orlando Weekly, standing outside the Pulse property Thursday morning.  His expression bore a combination of both anger and sadness, rivaling the fury of city commissioner Patty Sheehan, whose district includes Pulse.

“It’s a hostile act,” Smith added. “A hostile act by the state government against a city. Fascism is knocking on our door.”

Sheehan, speaking to reporters Thursday, similarly described the action as “government overreach,” cruel, and inefficient.

Smith said it’s also notable considering the fact that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently approved nearly $400,000 in requested state funds to help support the construction of a permanent memorial at Pulse. While an interim memorial has been set up outside of the property for years, a permanent memorial by the city to commemorate the 2016 massacre and honor the 49 victims killed, their families, and shooting survivors, is currently in the works.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, however, blasted the concept of rainbow crosswalks last month, announcing a new federal initiative to “eliminate distractions” on roadways.

“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” Duffy wrote on the social media platform X. Duffy — a former Fox News presenter, lobbyist, and cast member of MTV’s The Real World: Boston in 1997 — was appointed DOT secretary by President Donald Trump earlier this year. Duffy reportedly sent letters to governors in all 50 U.S. states (plus Puerto Rico and D.C.) on July 1, urging state officials to “prioritize investments that improve mobility and safety on roadways.”

Rainbow crosswalks in Florida cities such as St. Petersburg, Key West, and Delray Beach have also gotten caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s culture war. The Florida Department of Transportation, riding the coattails of Duffy’s new “safe roads scheme,” has similarly sent out letters to city officials whose jurisdictions contain rainbow crosswalks.

According to the state agency, the city of Orlando did receive an initial notice from them in June to bring their roadways, including crosswalks up to state standards, following state and federal policy updates. But mayor Dyer and Sheehan confirmed the city did not receive any notice or warning that the crosswalk would be painted over Wednesday night.

“While the state works to erase the memory of the victims of the Pulse tragedy by painting over the crosswalk, our community’s commitment to honoring the 49, and completing the memorial, will never waver,” said Dyer, who’s come under fire by some survivors and family members of the Pulse tragedy himself.

The LGBTQ+ community has faced other, more tangible attacks under the Trump administration, including efforts to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender young adults (something Floridians are already subjected to under state law) and the rescission of federal regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Still, local LGBTQ+ advocates like Smith remain resolved. “I’m feeling betrayed, but we will not be erased,” said Smith. “If the state gets their way and has the final say over this rainbow crosswalk, there will be a rainbow that shows up somewhere else, nearby that’s going to be even bigger, even gayer and even more colorful.”

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, who’s in the running for Orlando mayor following the conclusion of Dyer’s current term, similarly condemned the overnight action. “The reality is, Governor DeSantis has no real plan to solve actual problems our community faces, like housing affordability or property insurance — so all he can do is divide us and attack vulnerable communities,” she shared in a statement. “It’s distraction, deflection, and destruction.”

By early Thursday afternoon, Eskamani shared a photo on Facebook depicting the crosswalk already crayoned in with rainbow colors. Sen. Smith similarly shared crayon-wielding volunteers in a post published to X. 

About nine hours after the Weekly initially reached out to FDOT for comment, the agency finally shared a statement with us on its decision to paint over the rainbow crosswalk outside of Pulse. You can read that statement in full below:

As the state highway department, it is the duty of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems. That means ensuring our roadways are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests.

Earlier this year, the Department completed a months-long process of updating the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) with input from representatives of state and local governments. This update included a prohibition on non-uniform traffic control devices, such as pavement markings on state and local roads.

In June, FDOT notified all local governments of these updates and revised provisions of Florida Statutes that give the Department authority to withhold state funds for noncompliance. This was followed by similar policy updates from USDOT Secretary Duffy.

Last week, local governments not in compliance for local roads began receiving notifications to bring their roadways up to state standards to ensure locals govern themselves accordingly.

In addition to ensuring all local governments comply, FDOT completed a review of all state-maintained roadways and is now correcting pavement markings not in compliance. That includes street art previously installed on state right of way, such as the intersection of Orange Avenue in question.

Transportation infrastructure is for the movement of people and goods. In this case, while the crosswalk has been restored to its proper form, local efforts are underway to construct a permanent memorial on adjacent properties funded by the State of Florida. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is false.

This post has been updated to include comment from FDOT.

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This article appears in Best of Orlando (R) 2025.