Rainbow crosswalk outside Pulse nightclub in Orlando painted over by state

Pulse massacre survivors and household circuit gathering

Pulse massacre survivors and household circuit gathering earlier demolition 02:05

The rainbow crosswalk extracurricular the Pulse nightclub successful Orlando — which commemorated the 49 victims killed astatine the LGBTQ+ affable nightclub successful 2016 — was painted implicit Wednesday by the state, Mayor Buddy Dyer and others revealed Thursday.

"We are devastated to larn that overnight the authorities painted implicit the Pulse Memorial crosswalk connected Orange Avenue. But we cognize that portion this crosswalk has been removed, Orlando's committedness to honoring the 49 tin ne'er beryllium erased," Dyer wrote connected societal media. 

In a longer statement, Dyer said, "This callous enactment of hastily removing portion of a memorial to what was astatine the clip our nation's largest wide shooting, without immoderate supporting information oregon discussion, is simply a cruel governmental act."

Dyer added that the crosswalk, created successful 2017, adheres to information standards, and was installed by the state.

Florida State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith called coating implicit the crosswalk "a disgusting enactment of betrayal" and shared a photo of radical coloring implicit the caller overgarment with chalk.

The Florida Department of Transportation did not instantly respond to CBS News' petition for comment.

FILE - Brandon Wolf, a subsister of the Pulse nightclub shooting and activist, looks astatine the photos that are a portion of the Pulse memorial successful Orlando, Florida, connected Sept. 9, 2022. Cody Jackson / AP

Brandon Wolf, a Pulse subsister who hid successful the bath arsenic the gunman opened fire, also posted connected societal media about the removal of the crosswalk.

"In the acheronian of night, they came to erase our amusement of solidarity, our declaration that we volition ne'er forget," Wolf wrote. "The cowards who consciousness threatened by our lives should consciousness fortunate they didn't person to hide the ones they emotion — past ticker the authorities travel & desecrate their memory."

Florida's proscription bureau had been notifying cities astir the authorities successful caller months that they indispensable region rainbow-colored crosswalks and intersections oregon they could look the withholding of proscription funds. Among the cities notified were Delray Beach and Key West.

Will Watts, an adjunct caput for the Florida Department of Transportation, issued a memo in June prohibiting "surface art" connected crosswalks, sidewalks, intersections, question lanes oregon shoulders. The memo prohibited "surface art" associated with "social, governmental oregon ideological messages oregon images and does not service the intent of postulation control."

In July, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a missive to each 50 states saying intersections should beryllium "kept escaped from distractions." In a social media post, Duffy said, "Taxpayers expect their dollars to money harmless streets, not rainbow crosswalks. Political banners person nary spot connected nationalist roads. I'm reminding recipients of USDOT roadway backing that it's constricted to features advancing safety, and thing else. It's that simple."

The shooting astatine the nightclub successful Orlando occurred connected June 12, 2016. A gunman named Omar Mateen opened occurrence during the club's fashionable Latin night, shooting patrons connected the creation level and spraying bullets astatine others hiding successful bath stalls. While holding hostages during a standoff with authorities, Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State radical during a three-hour standoff earlier being killed successful a shootout. In summation to those killed, 53 others were wounded.

In June, survivors and household members of the victims of the Pulse shooting toured the wrong of the gathering for a last look earlier it's torn down. City officials program to physique a permanent memorial successful its place.

In his societal media post, Dyer said the crosswalk "not lone enhanced information and visibility for the ample numbers of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it besides served arsenic a ocular reminder of Orlando's committedness to grant the 49 lives taken. While this crosswalk has been removed, our community's committedness to honoring the 49 tin ne'er beryllium erased."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• LGBTQ+
• Orlando