Conformity Or Erasure

The Removal of Florida’s Street Art

Photo by Linda Xu on Unsplash

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), under Senate Bill 1662 signed by Governor DeSantis, has ordered cities to remove “all non-standard surface markings” by Sept. 3, 2025. In the case that cities do not comply, they risk losing state funding. This order follows a change meant to help with traffic safety and consistency, as well as making sure crosswalks are used for their intended purpose rather than for social or political intentions. According to DeSantis, “The street art got out of hand. I think it’s much better that we use streets for their intended purpose.” The street art being removed covers a wide variety, ranging from memorials to student projects, and the decision has drawn significant backlash from both communities and officials. 

Among the crosswalk art removed is the rainbow crosswalk memorial honoring the 49 victims of the mass shooting that took place at the LGBTQ+ Pulse nightclub. This removal was done overnight and has been met with strong backlash from the LGBTQ+ community, and others. Coming after other Florida laws such as "Don't Say Gay,” the memorial removal has been viewed by many as a political attack. Additionally, In St. Petersburg, a Black History mural was denied an exemption and set for removal. Overall, the removals have left many marginalized communities upset and wanting to resist.

“This feels more political than anything,” junior Allie Wood said. “I can't even imagine how disheartening it is for the children whose day lit up every time they walked across a colorful crosswalk, to now walk over the bland, unimaginative crosswalk to school. It's shameful that children's imagination is suppressed because our government cannot handle seeing any color of the rainbow together.”

As previously mentioned, the removals extend beyond memorials, affecting student and community artwork as well. For example, in Leon County, the Knight Creative Communities Institute's (KCCI) artistic crosswalks, created with the help of students, are being removed. The project aimed to reduce risk for pedestrians by creating high visibility artwork, and consequently, KCCI reported data showing that the art was effective. Its removal led to backlash in Tallahassee over whether the law is about traffic safety or repressing political views that don't align with the government. 

“I was really sad. [The art]’s beautiful,” English teacher Lauren Fantle said. “From what I’ve read, since the art was in place, accidents and running lights have decreased”

However, some argue that this move isn’t political, pointing out that removals include art in general, not just those representing marginalized communities. One of the projects being removed is the “Back the Blue” mural in Tampa, which was made in support of police officers. This raises questions about the true purpose of the removals, since the artworks served different roles, from political expression to memorials, and to traffic safety measures. 

“By taking away peoples' ability to express themselves, you are taking away their freedom of expression,” Wood said. “Art, in all forms--whether it be music, literature, theater or street art-- deserves to be represented.”