Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale are being ordered to remove their rainbow crosswalks – or risk losing millions of dollars in state and federal transportation funding.
The directive comes from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which sent multiple cities across the state 14-day notices to take down Pride-themed crosswalks and street art.
Miami Beach pushes back
One of the most well-known crosswalks is at 12th Street and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, installed seven years ago. FDOT argues the pastel rainbow artwork poses a safety risk for both drivers and pedestrians. But city statistics suggest otherwise.
According to crash data, the intersection at 12th and Ocean has had just 15 accidents since the artwork was installed in 2018 — fewer than neighboring intersections at 10th Street (37 crashes) and 13th Street (23 crashes)…