Fort Lauderdale settles street art fight, state will paint over designs
Fort Lauderdale's rainbow crosswalk fight is ending, and the state will paint over the city's street art before commissioners make the settlement official July 2.
A settlement is expected to be made official at the City Commission's July 2 meeting at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The Florida Department of Transportation will paint over designs across the city, including a Pride-themed mural near the beach.
The dispute began in August 2025, when state transportation officials ordered Fort Lauderdale to remove painted street art from four intersections: Sebastian Street east of State Road A1A and Seabreeze Boulevard, Breakers Avenue and Riomar Street, Breakers Avenue and Terramar Street, and E. Las Olas Boulevard and Almond Avenue. Fort Lauderdale officials said none of those locations were on state-owned roads, and the city fought back by hiring outside lawyers and filing lawsuits instead of immediately complying.
More than 40 people, and nearly 50 by the city's count, spoke in support of that resistance at a special commission meeting in August 2025. One resident called the Sebastian Street rainbow progress flag "a beacon of belonging" and said it stood for safety, visibility and pride. City officials also said crash rates had gone down at some of the painted intersections.
The state had given the city a Sept. 4, 2025 deadline and threatened to withhold funding if Fort Lauderdale did not comply. The memo behind the statewide crackdown barred pavement art with social, political or ideological messages that did not serve a traffic-control purpose, and at least nine Florida cities were fighting the same directive. Among the first installations painted over was Orlando's Pulse nightclub rainbow crossing, a memorial to the 49 people killed in the 2016 massacre, which drew anger from community members.
Fort Lauderdale's original pride-themed pavement art near Sebastian Street was created in 2016 by artist Robin Haines Merrill, known as Sister Robin, as part of the city's Safe Streets program with FDOT approval. City officials have tried to preserve a visible LGBTQ symbol near the beach by unveiling the Circle of Love Pride display on June 20 on private property at Sebastian Street Plaza near State Road A1A. The display sits next to Sebastian Street Beach on Selene condominium property as part of an agreement with the developer.
The city and the state have already filed a joint stipulation of settlement and dismissal, and a judge has closed the case.
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