When state crews rolled gray paint over the rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse memorial last summer, Se7enBites owner and chef Trina Gregory did not fade into the background. Instead, she opened up 49 private parking spaces at her Milk District restaurant and invited local artists to turn each stall into a painted tribute, one for each life lost at Pulse. The all-day event blended music, vendors, and pavement murals into a new, permanent memorial on private land.
More than 1,000 artists applied to take part, and organizers selected dozens to paint the 49 spaces as part of “Parking Spaces for Pride — A Rainbow Connection,” as reported by The Associated Press. The paintings sit on private property and were described by participants as permanent installations meant to preserve the city’s color in defiance of state action, WESH reported. With music, food trucks, and neighbors crowding the lot, the project felt as much like a block party as a memorial.
State Order Sparked A Private Response
The project grew out of guidance from the Florida Department of Transportation that restricted “surface art” on roadways, a move that set the stage for state crews to repaint the rainbow crosswalk at the Pulse memorial in August 2025. CBS News reported that the crosswalk was painted over overnight, triggering chalk protests and drawing national attention. For Gregory and other local organizers, privately owned asphalt became a way to keep the colors without running into the state’s new rules.
A Local Spotlight Reaches Beyond Orlando
In a profile published today, the Orlando Sentinel reports that Gregory has received letters, postcards, emails, and messages from around the world since the painting day. The paper also named her a finalist for its Central Floridian of the Year award, with the winner set to be announced on April 12. The attention highlights how a hyperlocal, privately funded project has landed as a wider symbol of resistance.
“If they want to erase symbols of pride and acceptance, then we’ll create even more of them,” Gregory told the Associated Press. She said the art serves both as a protest and as a way to help a grieving community heal. Many of the artists who painted the spots described their work as acts of solidarity and remembrance rather than partisan statements…