Citizens repainted the rainbow crosswalk on Esther Street outside the Pulse nightclub overnight, restoring its original rainbow colors. Florida Department of Transportation crews returned at night and painted over the crosswalk again, leaving the intersection black. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith reported the overnight repainting and said DOT officials remained on site. The crosswalk conflict reflects broader disputes between Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration and city governments over decorative intersections. Other municipalities like Delray Beach are pursuing court fights tied to a federal directive from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Pulse survivor Brandon Wolf criticized the governor's reversal after previously visiting the crosswalk.
"I just discovered that in the dark of night, the Orlando community showed up to the crosswalk outside of Pulse nightclub and they painted it back its original rainbow colors," he said in a video shared on social media. But that was short-lived, as the Department of Transportation for the second time in a week came back in nighttime and painted over the crosswalk again.
Other municipalities like Delray Beach are fighting in court about whether intersections or crosswalks in other cities must be removed based on a federal directive from Transportation Secretary and former The Real World cast member Sean Duffy. Of note, DeSantis walked the crosswalk outside Pulse his first year as Governor, just three years after a man swearing allegiance to the Islamic State entered the club and killed 49 victims, most of those gay and Latino.
#lgbtq-rights #pulse-nightclub #rainbow-crosswalk #florida-department-of-transportation #ron-desantis
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