Death of Delray Beach Pride Art Could Spawn Bigger, Gayer Display

Prolific anti-gay crusader Gov. Ron DeSantis might have just inadvertently inspired Delray Beach officials to rename Northeast 1st Street to Pride Street, line it with LGBTQ flags, and otherwise memorialize the rainbow intersection state personnel blacked out and sandblasted last week.

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) workers scrubbed away a massive rainbow painting at the intersection of Northeast 1st Street and Northeast 2nd Avenue as part of DeSantis' crackdown on so-called distracting street art, which many see as a thinly veiled attack on Pride displays. FDOT apparently considered the Pride crosswalk, created four years ago in tribute to Orlando’s Pulse nightclub victims, a safety hazard.

On Monday night, Commissioners talked about potential responses at a budget meeting, eager to find a quick response to the matter, which Delray Beach Vice Mayor Rob Long tells New Times has largely infuriated residents and business owners.

The state erased what many saw as the "welcome mat into the city's art district," Long says.

The Florida Department of Transportation (#FDOT) is currently sandblasting the Delray Beach Pride Intersection at NE 2nd Avenue and NE 1st Street. FDOT has blocked the roadway to vehicular traffic. Please use alternate routes.
For more information: https://t.co/jpmWDPL9fw pic.twitter.com/NwtrJvpgrA

— City of Delray Beach (@citydelraybeach) September 10, 2025

Florida's first attempt to paint over the crosswalk in the wee hours of September 9 failed due to a heavy rainstorm. The rain smeared the black paint concealing the rainbow past the four-way intersection, revealing its bright and bold colors once again. But the next day, the state came to finish its work, painting over it once again before sandblasting the LGBTQ crosswalk into oblivion.

"They came in without any work permit, and it was half washed off by the morning and left black paint everywhere," Long said about the state's first attempt at covering the Pride crosswalk. "It's insane. Several people said it was the best in the state.

"These were like state-sanctioned raids. They're making it very clear they'll go after any symbol they can justify."

At the meeting, Long was adamant that the city needs to respond quickly to the erasure of Delray Beach's open support for its LGBTQ residents. Other commissioners seemed to agree and called for residents to weigh in.

What Is Delray Beach Considering?

While officials at the meeting held a workshop to give residents a chance to suggest a Pride display to replace the one FDOT erased, commissioners discussed some proposals city staff prepared Monday night. Commissioners noted the city could end up implementing more than one of the following replacements:

• Renaming Northeast 1st Street "Pride Street"
  The city would replace signs at the street's 21 intersections. Commissioners are also considering placing a photo of the old intersection art on the street signs.

• Putting rainbow flags on every light pole on Northeast 1st Street
  The infamous LGBTQ rainbow flag would adorn each street light pole along the road.
  

• Illuminating the water tower on Northeast 1st Street with rainbow lights
  City staff showed renderings of the baby-blue water tower at night with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet lights shining upward.

• Erecting a memorial plaque with a photo of the old intersection
  The now-erased painting could live forever, in the form of a plaque.

• Painting pride murals in Downtown Delray Beach near the intersection
  Commissioners considered commissioning artists to paint expansive pride murals on the facades of downtown buildings near or on Northeast 1st Street.

How Did We Get Here?

The Delray Beach intersection is one of a few South Florida pride displays under attack by DeSantis and FDOT's crackdown on what they call safety hazards. FDOT caught Delray Beach officials unaware and struck the display last week, botching its first attempt to paint over it by apparently failing to consider South Florida's rainy climate; so personnel returned Wednesday morning to paint over it again before doubling back later for a third rainbow raid to sandblast the intersection down to its base, Delray Beach spokeswoman Gina Carter told New Times in a written statement last week.

In recent weeks, South Florida officials in Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Miami Beach, and Delray Beach pushed back against the June order to remove the public street art or face funding cuts.

FDOT hasn't returned New Times' request for comment.

In June, DeSantis signed a bill requiring FDOT to remove any noncompliant street or sidewalk art, which state officials have argued is a safety hazard. The move is widely seen as targeting rainbow crosswalks that celebrate LGBTQ Pride.

In the appeal, which Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale commissioners joined, Miami Beach city attorneys argue that FDOT’s Memorandum 25-01 goes beyond guidance, effectively creating new rules. They say the memo bans certain design features, orders their removal, and threatens penalties, including withholding state funds or having FDOT step in directly, though existing law doesn't outline such restrictions.

So far, FDOT has targeted:

• Miami Beach's "terrazzo pavers" at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, where you can walk across not one, but three glorious multi-colored art-deco-style crosswalks
• Fort Lauderdale's "Progress Pride Walkway" on Sebastian Street between Seabreeze Boulevard and Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard
• Delray Beach's four-way pride crosswalk at Northeast 1st Street and Northeast 2nd Avenue
• Key West's rainbow crosswalks at Duval and Petronia Streets, which FDOT officials struck last week, according to Keys News.