In a move critics are describing as heavy-handed, the State has deployed Florida Highway Patrol officers to guard the Pulse Nightclub site, aiming to deter volunteers from chalking or re-painting the rainbow crosswalk, now twice painted over by the Florida Department of Transportation.
Early this week, state crews quietly covered up the iconic rainbow-striped crosswalk outside Pulse, which was a memorial to the 49 people killed in the 2016 mass shooting. The removal was ordered under a new FDOT directive banning “surface art” with social, political, or ideological content, aligning with a federal policy to keep roads visually uniform for “safety” reasons.
Local leaders, including Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, denounced the move as a “cruel political act” that erased a remembrance site built in coordination with FDOT in 2017. Community members pushed back, some using chalk to restore the rainbow stripes. Even though rain has washed away their efforts, people keep coming back to chalk it in.
Now, Florida Highway Patrol officers have been stationed at the site to prevent further chalking or grassroots attempts to re-rainbow the crosswalk. Eyewitness reporting and official statements indicate that their presence reflects an intent to assert state authority over compliance with the new road art policy. OPD is on scene as well.
Local criminal defense attorneys at The Arroyo Law Firm (Website) are offering pro bono services for anyone who is arrested for chalking the sidewalk.
