The city of Miami Beach is contesting a Florida Department of Transportation directive that prohibits artistic street designs, including rainbow-colored crosswalks symbolizing LGBTQ pride.
City officials filed a petition Thursday with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, arguing the June 30 memo, known as Memorandum 25-01, was issued without undergoing the formal rule-making process required under state law.
The memo mandates the removal of certain street features and authorizes enforcement by FDOT district offices. It also gives the agency the power to withhold funding or directly remove installations if municipalities do not comply.
“Memorandum 25-01 does not merely provide guidance,” the city stated in its filing. “It imposes new obligations and penalties not otherwise found in statute or rule, effectively restricting local governments’ legal rights.”
The directive has drawn backlash across the state, particularly over the removal of rainbow street art—including at the site of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
Miami Beach’s petition cites a targeted effort to remove rainbow “terrazzo pavers” at the intersection of Ocean Drive and 12th Street.
