Ron DeSantis destroyed the Pulse memorial. A major newspaper is fighting his secrecy. - LGBTQ Nation

"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) ordered the FDOT to paint over the crosswalk in the middle of the night, but the FDOT didn't notify any Orlando city officials - not even the mayor - beforehand. Four months ago, the Sentinel requested FDOT records related to the crosswalk's destruction. The FDOT stonewalled the request, leading the publication to file its recent lawsuit, the Sentinel explained in a recent editorial."

""Why the sneak attack?" the Sentinel asked about the crosswalk's late-night removal, in its editorial. "Why didn't Orlando get the chance to appeal, as other cities were granted? Most compelling: Why did the [F]DOT destroy a crosswalk that the department itself installed just a few months prior, complete with the rainbow colors - and even boasted about on social media?" "When the Sentinel and other media outlets asked the state for records that would answer those questions, the only response was silence," the editorial continued."

"In July, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged governors to remove any political messages, artwork, and markings on intersections not directly related to pedestrian or driver safety. He disingenuously claimed that rainbow crosswalks threaten driver safety and wrote via social media, "Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.""

Florida's Department of Transportation painted over the rainbow crosswalk honoring the 49 Pulse victims in August 2025 at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The removal occurred in the middle of the night without notification to Orlando city officials, including the mayor. The Orlando Sentinel requested FDOT records about the demolition four months earlier and alleges the department stonewalled the request, prompting a lawsuit for withheld records. The state had installed and publicly promoted the rainbow crosswalk months earlier. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged removal of political artwork on intersections, calling rainbow crosswalks a safety and taxpayer concern.

Read at LGBTQ Nation