The artist Robin Haines Merrill—a Christian minister who goes by the name Sister Robin—was hired in 2016 to paint crosswalks and intersections in her home city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Part of the Safe Streets programme, the commission had full approval from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). But last week, she received a letter informing her that her work does not comply with new FDOT standards and will be removed by 4 September, along with more than 100 other colourful crosswalks, street murals and art across the state.
“They are coming after us based on current guidelines that they changed overnight,” Sister Robin tells The Art Newspaper. “I've felt impending doom and panic about the state destroying my artwork.”
At least nine cities are fighting the state over an FDOT directive that has sent 14-day notices to remove colourful crosswalks, street murals and Pride-themed art. The order originates from an FDOT memo that prohibits surface pavement art featuring "social, political or ideological messages" that do not serve a traffic-control purpose. The state's action follows a directive from US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who stated last month that "roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork". If cities oppose removing qualifying crosswalk art, they risk losing millions of dollars in state and federal transportation funding. So far, Florida is the only state that has cracked down on such public art.
"It's absurd and hypocritical, as I had amended my design to meet all FDOT standards," Sister Robin says. Her street murals are titled Aquifer Intersections, centred on the theme of water, and they won her a street artist award. The pieces were created with the intention of slowing traffic down as drivers approached the intersections, while raising awareness and respect for the city's water sources, which originate in the Everglades.
Under the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis—who wrote last week on X: "We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes"—FDOT has already flagged and painted over LGBTQ street art, while sweeping away other crosswalk art and street murals as well. Most recently, a "high visibility" green cycling trail in an Orlando suburb, which Seminole County had spent millions to install, was painted over in black, frustrating many residents.
One of Sister Robin’s painted intersections, part of her Aquifer Intersections series (2016) in Fort Lauderdale Courtesy the artist
"Ron DeSantis must be allergic to colour," Sister Robin says.
A possible explanation for all this lies in the fact that Florida has established legislation authorising the operation and testing of autonomous vehicles in the state. It has also invested millions to attract companies that develop self-driving cars. The FDOT memo states that uniform application of street surface markings is “critical” to the effectiveness of these vehicles, as they “rely on consistent traffic control devices”. This may provide an impetus for covering up green bike lanes and colourful pavement art.
Regarding the removal of LGBTQ crosswalks in particular, activists, lawmakers and municipal representatives have stressed that the new FDOT rules are being used as a weapon against inclusivity and diversity.
"We will not be erased," Florida state senator Carlos Guillermo Smith stated on social media.
In Orlando, the state has already taken action, with FDOT crews working by night to paint over the rainbow crosswalk outside the gay nightclub Pulse—site of a 2016 mass shooting in which 49 people were killed. Neighbours used chalk to restore the colours. A few days later, FDOT repainted it a second time in black and white. FDOT has also ordered the removal of students' art on a bike lane which had been part of a student contest promoted by FDOT itself.
Miami Beach’s rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive Photo: Ken Lund, via Flickr
While some cities are still challenging the state order, others have comlied rather than risk losing millions in funding. Saint Petersburg, for example, plans to remove five painted crosswalks. The city’s mayor, Kenneth T. Welch, released a statement saying: "While we have pursued exemptions from FDOT, our request has been denied." After considering the implications of keeping the street murals, the mayor stated that these must be removed by the 4 September deadline, as per FDOT's order.
"The city remains committed to working with our community to find lawful ways to celebrate and express our values in the public realm. While these specific art murals will be removed, the spirit of what makes St Pete a special place can't be suppressed by legislative fiat, and we will find meaningful ways to express our shared values," Welch added.
The City of Tampa will also comply with painting over pavement art from its streets, a spokesperson said, and has so far presented a list to the state with 47 pieces of art slated for removal. These include not only rainbow-coloured crosswalks but also a pro-police street mural titled Back the Blue, painted in 2020.
For now, the City of Miami Beach plans to fight to save its street art, including a famous rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive. Miami Beach's city commissioner Alex Fernández called the work "a symbol of safety and inclusivity", adding: "We must appeal the state's order. If the state denies our appeal, then we need to consider all of our options… to protect the rights of our community, to protect the visibility."
As FDOT continues to paint over rainbow crosswalks and murals across the state, protesters have pushed back. Demonstrations have been taking place at rainbow crosswalks in Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Miami Beach and elsewhere. But for some of the artists behind the public works, it feels like the battle has already been lost.
"I can't fight to save my mural. That's the actual reality now," Sister Robin says. "But I don't want the state to destroy my artwork. I would rather do it myself in a funeral ceremony with the community involved."
