Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is making good on his pledge to erase LGBTQ+ identity from the states public spaces.In the dead of night on Wednesday, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) painted over the rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub memorial in Orlando, News 6 reports. Related Pete Buttigiegs replacement begs governors to remove rainbow crosswalks, claiming they kill people The crosswalk was at the site of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. The city installed it the following year as a tribute to the 49 lives lost in the mass shooting during a Latin-themed night at the queer club.The rainbow crosswalk was also a featured element in the design of the future permanent Pulse memorial, which recently received $400,000 in state funding. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer expressed outrage over the cowardly overnight erasure.We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue. This callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nations largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety data, or discussion is a cruel political act, Dyer said in a statement released Thursday morning.Out State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, representing much of Orlando, was equally indignant in a video posted from the site of the newly repainted crosswalk.FDOT illegally vandalized + ripped the rainbow colors off of Orlandos city crosswalk in the middle of the night outside Pulse nightclub. This crosswalk was painted to honor the lives of 49 angels murdered here, AND to keep pedestrians here safe. A disgusting act of betrayal. FDOT illegally vandalized + ripped the rainbow colors off of Orlandos city crosswalk in the middle of the night outside Pulse nightclub.This crosswalk was painted to honor the lives of 49 angels murdered here, AND to keep pedestrians here safe.A disgusting act of betrayal. pic.twitter.com/q3wYSa8e9o Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) August 21, 2025DeSantis has long championed the erasure of LGBTQ+ identity in the Sunshine State, from criminalizing discussion of LGBTQ+ people in public schools (in the form of his notorious Dont Say Gay legislation), to ordering the blackout of Pride displays on state bridges and trying to ban stateside drag performances.After his failed 2024 bid for the presidency, DeSantis aligned himself closely with Donald Trumps own anti-LGBTQ+ agenda, now on overdrive in his second term.In July, Trumps reality show star-turned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to governors urging them to keep intersections free of political messages, artwork, and any markings not directly tied to pedestrian or driver safety. This directive gave DeSantis the opening for his own Pride erasure scheme.Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks, Duffy said in a public statement posted to social media. Political banners have no place on public roads.Duffy claimed without evidence that rainbow crosswalks are a threat to American drivers and pedestrians lives.Far too many Americans die each year to traffic fatalities to take our eye off the ball, he said.The Transportation Secretary didnt specify how many of the 39,345 lives lost in traffic fatalities during 2024 were due to rainbow crosswalks.Now, DeSantis is using the Trump administrations guidance to crack down on cities across Florida with the rainbow-colored crosswalks. While some elected officials are voting to resist and retain control of their citys streets, theyre being met with increasingly vocal threats from DeSantis and the state. He warns if they dont paint over the crosswalks themselves, FDOT will do it for them.The Pulse crosswalk erasure set an unsubtle example.There is no reason that they should have removed it, said Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan, the citys first openly gay elected official, to News 6.Its DeSantis and Trump who are making a political statement, she said.In June, DeSantis dropped any mention of LGBTQ+ and Latin people from his remarks on the 9th anniversary of the Pulse shooting.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.