MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Rainbow crosswalks in Miami Beach and other South Florida cities are at the center of a fight between local leaders and the state.
More than a dozen people spoke to Miami Beach commissioners Wednesday, both in person and virtually, urging the city to keep the colorful crosswalks.
“Threatening projects that help all of us if you don’t comply to his bigoted attacks on the LGBTQ community -- there’s a word for that -- extortion,” one speaker said.
“(It’s) one of many steps to harass (the) LGBTQ community over the last six years,” another added.
The Florida Department of Transportation, under Gov. Ron DeSantis, has ordered cities to remove the rainbow walkways and other street art by early next month.
That would include the painted crosswalk at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, which the state says must be gone by Thursday.
The city of Miami Beach, however, submitted an appeal letter saying it disagrees with what it called the state’s “interpretations of applicable law.”
Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez said he plans to ask the commission to approve an appeal hearing of its own.
DeSantis has argued the painted crosswalks are “distracting” and pose a safety concern.
“They just decide they don’t like the law, not what they want to do. That’s just not gonna fly,” DeSantis said.
Several speakers countered, pointing out that statistically the rainbow crosswalks on Miami Beach have the fewest accidents.
Still, state officials have vowed to withhold funding if the city refuses to comply.
“That’s not the way this system of government operates,” DeSantis added.
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