Orlando officials denounce removal of rainbow crosswalk near Pulse nightclub mass shooting site

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando officials on Thursday denounced the overnight removal by Florida transportation workers of a rainbow-colored crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub where 49 people were gunned down, saying it was part of an attack on LGBTQ lives by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called the painting over of the crosswalk with rainbow colors often associated with LGBTQ pride a “callous” and “cruel political act.” The massacre at the LGBTQ-friendly nightclub in 2016 was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history at the time.

“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,” Dyer said.

State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from Orlando, called the overnight removal work a cowardly act.

“They did this in the middle of the night because they were scared of the resistance because they know what they did was wrong,” said Smith, who is openly gay.

The Florida Department of Transportation did not respond to an emailed inquiry seeking comment. The rainbow crosswalk originally was installed in 2017 by the state, Dyer said.

The state transportation agency had been notifying cities around Florida in recent months that they must remove rainbow-colored crosswalks and intersections or they could face the withholding of transportation funds. Among the cities notified were Delray Beach, Key West and St. Petersburg. Earlier this week, St. Petersburg officials asked for an exemption for five street art installations, saying they create a strong sense of community. They include a rainbow-colored intersection, a Black Lives Matter mural and a University of South Florida-themed crosswalk.

Will Watts, an assistant secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation, issued a memo in June prohibiting “surface art” on crosswalks, sidewalks, intersections, travel lanes or shoulders. The memo prohibited “surface art” associated with “social, political or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control.”

The Pulse nightclub shooting during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. The attacker, Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. But that number was surpassed the next year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas.

Smith, the lawmaker, promised that if the state gets its way, the LGBTQ community won’t be erased at the site where a permanent memorial is planned.

“There will be a rainbow mural nearby that is even bigger, queerer and more colorful than they ever imagined,” Smith said.

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