Gayest Florida Pride Crosswalks Unbothered By DeSantis' War on Rainbows

South Florida cities are standing up to Gov. Ron DeSantis in his efforts to cancel rainbow sidewalks from Florida culture. DeSantis, a vocal critic of “woke” ideology and cancel culture, signed a bill in June requiring the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to remove any noncompliant street or sidewalk art, a move widely seen as targeting rainbow crosswalks that celebrate LGBTQ pride.

We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes. https://t.co/AXY1qxsZNW

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 21, 2025

And while officials have already washed away iconic public pride displays in Orlando, some in South Florida are still living their best lives thanks to appeals from Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, and Miami Beach. On Thursday, Miami Beach became the latest city to push back against the attempted erasure with an appeal at the State Division of Administrative Hearings, according to NBC 6. The city joined Fort Lauderdale, which appealed the decision in August, Delray Beach, and Key West in attempts to keep rainbow crosswalks intact, according to CNN.

In their appeal, 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 — even though such restrictions aren’t outlined in existing law.

FDOT has targeted Miami Beach's "terrazzo pavers" at the intersection of Ocean Drive and 12th Street, where you can walk across not one, but three glorious multi-colored art-deco-style crosswalks can be seen; Fort Lauderdale's "Progress Pride Walkway" on Sebastian Street between Seabreeze Boulevard and Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard; Delray Beach's pride crosswalk at the intersection of Northeast 1st Street and Northeast 2nd Avenue; and Key West's rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Duval and Petronia Streets.

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FDOT's memo argues that the reason for ordering street art removal is safety. But some city officials in South Florida aren't buying it.

"I’m sure that the state will find every way they can to associate their actions and to make it look like they’re trying to enforce traffic control," Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, a Democrat, said at a special meeting in August. “But as has been said time and time again, it’s simply a camouflage for their true intent – which is to erase or eliminate as many LGBTQ references in the state as possible.”