DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – The Florida Division of Transportation has eliminated rainbow crosswalks in Delray Seaside and Key West, unilaterally erasing the road artwork in a transfer that metropolis officers say circumvented their means to reply.
In a information launch, Delray Seaside officers mentioned FDOT crews eliminated town’s Satisfaction Intersection earlier than daybreak on Tuesday, lower than 12 hours after town acquired an order directing them to take action. Officers mentioned the Metropolis Fee didn’t have a chance to formally overview the order.
“By appearing exterior of its course of, FDOT disregarded town’s good-faith efforts to comply with established procedures,” town’s assertion mentioned. “Whereas FDOT’s motion can’t be undone, Delray Seaside stays steadfast in its dedication to unity, respect and the basic human rights that belong to each member of our neighborhood.”
Officers in Key West reported an identical state of affairs, with crews portray over the crosswalks within the early morning hours. Key West Commissioner Sam Kaufman mentioned town had acquired a ultimate order from FDOT late the earlier afternoon.
The swift motion by FDOT has drawn sharp criticism from Delray Seaside metropolis leaders, WSVN reported. At an emergency assembly to deal with the crosswalks, Vice Mayor Rob Lengthy accused FDOT of making “an unsafe situation that we now must take care of.” He mentioned the company acted “with no work allow into our metropolis streets that we personal and keep.”
FDOT’s actions are a part of a broader statewide directive that prohibits “non-uniform site visitors management units, comparable to pavement markings on state and native roads.”
The directive has prompted battle in a number of Florida communities, together with St. Petersburg, the place pastors have been arrested for protesting the removing of a “Black Historical past Issues” road mural.
In Orlando, three folks have been arrested earlier this month after utilizing chalk to paint a repainted crosswalk exterior the Pulse memorial.
In Tampa, the Metropolis Council unanimously handed a decision condemning Gov. Ron DeSantis’s coverage, with officers stating they really feel “held hostage by Tallahassee” by a rule that might affect their transportation funding. Tampa is about to take away road artwork from 47 areas within the coming weeks.
State transportation crews started portray over the enduring checkered-flag crosswalks at Daytona Worldwide Speedway on the finish of August.
