Florida officials are speaking out after a rainbow crosswalk dedicated to the victims of the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando was abruptly painted over by state transportation workers.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, a Democrat, called it a "callous" and "cruel political act" by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration. He noted that the crosswalk was a memorial for the victims of the 2016 massacre at the LGBTQ nightclub, which left 49 people dead and dozens of others injured. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
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"The City of Orlando's safety crosswalks were all installed in close coordination with the state and adhere to the national safety standards," Dyer wrote on social media. "In fact, the crosswalk that is part of the Pulse Memorial was installed by the state."
"This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando’s commitment to honor the 49 lives taken," he added. "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."
Florida state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from Orlando, also called the incident a "disgusting act of betrayal" and shared photos on social media of people re-coloring the crosswalk with chalk.
"The Florida Department of Transportation — in the middle of the night — ripped the rainbow colors off of this city crosswalk," said Smith, who is openly gay. "They illegally vandalized city property without providing the city of Orlando notice or getting their approval to remove this rainbow crosswalk that was painted here — not only to remember the lives of the 49 mostly LGBTQ people of color who were murdered here, but also to keep the pedestrians and visitors safe who come here year after year to pay their respects to those lives who were taken here."
"I cannot believe that the Desantis administration has engaged in this hostile act against the city of Orlando," he added. "That they have insulted the families and survivors of this horrific tragedy."
DeSantis responded to Smith's video, saying, "We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes."
The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse nightclub in 2023 for $2 million and transformed the site into a memorial to honor the victims of the 2016 massacre. Mourners typically gather outside the nightclub on the somber anniversary to pay their respects.
