Florida transportation workers painted over the rainbow-colored crosswalk outside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub in the early hours of Aug. 21, replacing the memorial with standard white road markings. The Florida Department of Transportation acted without advance notice to the city, according to Mayor Buddy Dyer, who called the overnight operation “a cruel political act.” The crosswalk was installed in 2017 to honor the 49 people killed in the 2016 mass shooting at the LGBTQ-friendly club and had previously been approved by state officials. Its removal follows a June memo from FDOT barring “surface art” that conveys social or political messages, and a separate letter from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urging states to keep intersections free of “distractions.” Local leaders and LGBTQ advocates condemned the move. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith called the repainting “vandalism,” while Rep. Anna Eskamani warned the community “won’t allow DeSantis to weaponize state agencies.” A Miami Beach commissioner said he will fight to keep rainbow crosswalks in his city, and St. Petersburg has asked the state to spare five decorative intersections it says improve safety. FDOT has ordered Key West and Delray Beach to remove their Pride crosswalks by Sept. 3 or face state action. The agency and Governor Ron DeSantis’s office have not responded to requests for comment.