ORLANDO, FL.What was formerly an authorized and unaltered rainbow crosswalk outside the defunct Pulse Nightclub has been painted over, colored in, then painted over again. It is now black, white, and reportedly supervised.
Troops from the Florida Highway Patrol observed Sunday morning as someone colored the sidewalk adjacent to the intersection at S. Orange Avenue and W. Esther Street with chalk.
Robby Dodd stated that he intended to make a message despite the troopers’ orders to remain on the sidewalk.
This is where my pals perished. That’s all. Their memorial is this. “This belongs to them,” he declared. They gave me instructions on where I could color and assured me that I wouldn’t have any problems if I stayed on the sidewalk. I will continue coloring despite this.
Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando, Florida, claimed on social media that the troopers were stationed there to scare people with arrest if they colored the crosswalk with chalk, as they have been doing since it was found that the state had painted over it overnight on Thursday.
You would think our state had more pressing issues to deal with, but no, this is what they’ve spent time and money on, Eskamani added.
[VIDEO: Overnight removal of a rainbow crosswalk near Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub]
After receiving approval from the Florida Department of Transportation, Orlando erected the crosswalk in 2017. More than 2,000 individuals signed an online petition urging the city to place the rainbow in remembrance of the deceased and the survivors of the Pulse shooting, according to the petition website.
About two months after the Trump administration issued an order to remove “distracting road art,” FDOT made arrangements for the memorial to be painted black.In letters to each of the 50 governors, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged them to remove any political slogans or road markings that had nothing to do with vehicle or pedestrian safety.
In a social media statement, Duffy stated that taxpayers want their money to support safe streets rather than rainbow crosswalks. There is no place for political banners on public highways.
[PAST COVERAGE: A new mandate may remove the rainbow crosswalk at the Pulse nightclub site.]
The rainbow crosswalk at Pulse was not only one of the first of these removal operations in our region, but it was also left off of the list of 18 street art locations that FDOT gave to the city of Orlando after they were determined to be in violation of state design guidelines and were scheduled to be removed.
[WATCH: A list of crosswalk artwork that needs to be taken down was provided to Orlando by Florida officials. There was no pulse on it.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to the story on social media on Thursday, saying, “We will not permit the political appropriation of our state roads.”
Commissioner Patty Sheehan of Orlando referred to the state’s actions as a “slap in the face.”
Why did they do it in the middle of the night if they are so proud of it? “Sheehan said.”
Chris Blem, who was also at the Pulse site on Sunday, spoke with us.
With chalk in hand, Blem declared that this was a protest.
It’s useless. “It will continue to occur,” he stated. No matter how long it takes—today, tomorrow, or even a week from now—people will continue to be out there speaking up.
To find out why police were on duty Sunday morning, News 6 contacted FHP, Orlando police, and FDOT. We’re awaiting a response.
FDOT released the following statement earlier this week:
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is responsible for maintaining the safety and uniformity of public roads and transportation systems as the state highway department. This entails making sure that no social, political, or ideological interests use our roads.
State and local government leaders helped the Department update the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) over the course of several months earlier this year. Non-uniform traffic control measures, such pavement markings on state and local highways, were outlawed with this upgrade.
These changes and updated sections of Florida Statutes that allow the Department to withdraw state monies for noncompliance were sent to all local governments by FDOT in June. USDOT Secretary Duffy then issued similar policy revisions.
Notifications were sent to local governments last week to bring their roads up to state standards so that residents may govern themselves appropriately.
FDOT finished evaluating all state-maintained roads and is currently fixing pavement markings that are not in compliance, in addition to making sure all municipal governments follow the rules. This covers street art that has been previously erected on state property, like the area at the intersection of Orange Avenue in issue.
The purpose of transportation infrastructure is to move people and products. In this instance, local initiatives are in progress to build a permanent memorial on nearby properties that are supported by the State of Florida, even though the crosswalk has been returned to its original configuration. Any effort to imply differently is untrue.
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