Miami Beach unveils new Pride walkway to replace rainbow crosswalk FDOT removed
Six months after the Florida Department of Transportation ripped up the iconic rainbow crosswalk on South Beach, the City of Miami Beach unveiled a new walkway to commemorate its LGBTQ community Friday morning.
The U-shaped rainbow walkway that cuts into Lummus Park, made from over 3,000 colorful pavers, is just feet away from where the original rainbow crosswalks were. The new installation features the same Art Deco-inspired design as the original. The rainbow-themed crosswalk was designed by Savino Design, which also designed the original crosswalk that was removed by the state.
The unveiling comes as Miami Beach prepares to celebrate its 18th annual Pride parade on Sunday.
Last October, Miami Beach residents, beachgoers, city officials and drag queens were shocked to see FDOT workers dismantle the rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive and 12th Street which was installed in 2018.
The removal came after FDOT ordered local governments, including Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Key West, to remove pavement art “associated with social, political, or ideological messages” — or risk losing state funding. In August, FDOT painted over the rainbow sidewalk located near the site of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando. The sidewalk was a memorial to the 49 people killed in the mass shooting at the gay nightclub.
Local governments and activists at the time criticized the state’s push to remove crosswalk art as an overstep of local authority and attempt to erase Florida’s LGBTQ community. The crosswalk’s new location near Lummus Park, as opposed to an active roadway, is meant to protect the installation from further FDOT complaints.
Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez, the only openly gay commission member, thanked his straight colleagues for their support.
“When the State forcibly removed this crosswalk, it was our straight allies on the Miami Beach City Commission who ensured our gay community would not be pushed into the shadows. Our allies understood that this crosswalk symbolizes a history of perseverance through the stigma of HIV/AIDS, the injustice of military exclusion, workplace and housing discrimination, and the long fight for the right to marry and to build a family,” Fernandez said. “I am deeply grateful to my straight colleagues for their leadership in upholding the uncompromising values of love, compassion, and equality. It is a powerful reminder that our allies will help us overcome this moment.”
State officials said art in crosswalks was unsafe for drivers and pedestrians, though city commissioners said the Ocean Drive rainbow crosswalk was safe.
“Ripping out a crosswalk that was emblematic of Miami Beach’s embrace of our LGBTQ+ residents and visitors, at what was literally the safest intersection of Ocean Drive, was a real slap in the face to our residents and visitors,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Tanya K. Bhatt in a statement. “It’s so important and gratifying to be able to rise above the manufactured culture wars to build something lasting, recognizing the struggle and celebrating the love that this new installation represents.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 3:43 PM.