The city of Delray Beach, Florida, is not backing down from the fight against the DeSantis administration over a Pride-themed intersection that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has become obsessed with destroying.

The FDOT recently issued a formal enforcement letter demanding the city remove the mural by September 3 or face consequences, but the City Commission has agreed to stand its ground and attend a state administration hearing over the matter on September 2.

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“My guess is we’re gonna lose,” Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney, an attorney, told Gwen Filosa Media Key West. “Maybe we’ll win, so who knows. Let’s give it a shot.”

But not everyone agreed with the decision to resist.

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“If we poke the bear, are they going to take the money?” said Commissioner Juli Casale, referring to threats that state funding to the city would be frozen if commissioners did not remove the Pride mural.

Casale reportedly advocated for the relocation of a Pride symbol to a city-owned property.

“We are an inclusive city,” said Casale. “That doesn’t change if we move the Pride crosswalk to the sidewalk at Old School Square. Paint the whole Old School Square in a rainbow.”

FDOT began to crack down after commissioners in Delray Beach voted to maintain its rainbow intersection – which was installed and paid for by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) – after an impassioned speech by Vice Mayor Rob Long.

Long pointed out that despite threats, the FDOT never issued a formal enforcement letter, nor did Delray officials make any plans to install a Pride symbol elsewhere after plans to destroy the intersection were announced.

Soon came the formal letter, issued to city manager Terrence Moore, demanding the city remove the mural by September 3 or “the Florida Department of Transportation will remove them by any appropriate method necessary without further notice.”

The letter also said the state would charge the city for the costs of the removal and may withhold state funds if the city does not cooperate, The Palm Beach Post reported. A similar letter has been issued to officials in the city of Key West.

A statement from Moore to CBS12 conceded that now that a formal order has been issued, the rainbow art will likely be removed: “Like several other communities across Florida, the city of Delray Beach is required to bring the pride intersection into compliance with public safety standards,” he said.

In his speech, Long acknowledged that a formal order would require the city to comply, but he also urged commissioners to find an alternate way to publicly display a symbol of LGBTQ+ acceptance. “That’s the minimum respect that our community deserves,” he said.

“Let’s be honest. We all know this is not about traffic safety. This is political,” Long said. “It’s part of the same culture war climate where symbols of inclusion are targeted precisely because they represent acceptance. It’s about erasing the visibility of our LGBTQ+ people at the same time when their rights are again under direct threat.”

He emphasized that the city has a long history of celebrating marginalized communities. “That’s not just branding; it’s part of our civic identity.”

“Symbols matter,” he said. “They tell our residents, visitors, and especially our youth that they are seen, valued, and safe here. Removing our pride intersection without commission consensus and without a plan to preserve that symbol elsewhere sends the wrong message at the wrong time.”

Long also used data to disprove claims that the Pride art is distracting to drivers, a claim that has been made repeatedly by federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

But in his enthusiastic response to Duffy’s claims, Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue exposed the true motivation behind the campaign to remove the crosswalk art while also praising a law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) banning “nonstandard surface markings, signage, and signals that do not directly contribute to traffic safety or control can lead to distractions or misunderstandings, jeopardizing both driver and pedestrian safety.” 

“Florida’s proactive efforts to ensure we keep our transportation facilities free & clear of political ideologies were cemented into law by @GovRonDeSantis,” Perdue posted to socials. “Great to now have our federal partners also aligned behind this same common-sense policy.”

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