Orlando’s Pulse rainbow crosswalk was painted over. St. Pete mayor says his city’s Pride crosswalk mural could be next

While St. Pete City Council mulls over FDOT’s demand to erase its rainbow intersection, the state took matters into its own hands in Orlando.

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

The Florida Department of Transportation—a state agency that has ordered the removal of rainbow crosswalks in other Florida cities in recent weeks—is believed to be the culprit. The agency has not confirmed that it was behind the action, as of publication.

“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.

This afternoon, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that it’s possible FDOT could also erase St. Pete’s crosswalk without city permission.

“The covert removal of the Pulse tribute art by FDOT is deeply disappointing, even if it falls within the state’s authority,” Welch said.

“Communities across Florida, including ours, should be prepared for similar actions. Despite these challenges, St. Pete remains steadfast in our commitment to expressing our values of inclusion, creativity, and resilience. Together with our community, we will continue to find meaningful ways to honor these principles—in every space and through every medium available to us.”

“Communities across Florida, including ours, should be prepared for similar actions.”

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.

“Fascism is knocking on our door,” Smith added.

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.

Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera posted a statement calling the mural erasure in Orlando “wrong and ugly.”

“We are better than this. Our Governor is better than this. Our Legislature is better than this. Democrats and Republicans are better than this,” Viera, who is running for state house, wrote. “We are all better than this crass and insensitive move.”

St. Pete LGBTQ+ bar Cocktail also posted in solidarity with Orlando, saying it will have new rainbow graphics across its building-front in light of Trump and DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ agenda.

“We will not stand by and be erased,” Cocktail’s post reads. “We are proud and will not fight quietly.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the city of Orlando did receive an initial notice from FDOT regarding the crosswalk and its purported violation of federal and state guidelines. 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.

A version of this story originally appeared in our sister publication, Orlando Weekly.

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
 
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky

This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2025.