DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Emotions ran high during a Delray Beach City Commission meeting as residents and city leaders responded to the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) late-night removal of the city's Pride mural crosswalk.
Dozens of residents filled City Hall Tuesday night to voice support for keeping the mural — and to condemn the state’s actions.
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“Thank you for continuing this fight,” said one Delray Beach resident. “You’re fighting for our First Amendment rights… at the end of the day, this is art. It’s just street art.”
Julie Sever of Lake Worth urged commissioners to keep pushing back. “Such an egregious act. I am just disgusted looking at what they did to our city… not only the entire state of Florida, but the entire country is watching.”
Equality Florida’s Joe Saunders reminded the panel that there is no new law authorizing the governor’s actions. “Your LGBTQ residents — but really all your residents — need you,” he said.
Commissioners also expressed frustration. Vice-Mayor Rob Long noted FDOT workers entered the city overnight “without a work permit” and left behind what he described as “an unsafe condition.” Long recommended the city use hydro-blasting to clean up the smearing and called for the city to formally challenge the state.
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“They came to send a political message,” Long said. “What’s our message going to be? All I want is our day in court.”
Deputy Vice Mayor Angela Burns said she was “deeply saddened” by the removal. “Delray has always been and will remain a safe and welcoming community,” she said.
Commissioner Tom Markert said he has already asked Gov. Ron DeSantis for a meeting but has not received a reply. “There will be a fight, but there will be a healthy solution,” he said.
City Manager Terrence Moore told commissioners FDOT admitted their overnight work “did not work out very well” and offered to return to perform hydroblasting or sandblasting.
Mayor Tom Carney urged a more cautious approach, warning that a direct fight with FDOT could risk state funding. He suggested complying with FDOT’s request while also pursuing “Plan B” — creating another meaningful LGBTQ symbol in the city.
But in a 3-1 vote, the commission sided with Vice-Mayor Long’s motion to join other cities, including Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach, in petitioning the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) for relief. The motion also calls for seeking a stay of removal and using hydro-pressure washing to restore the intersection.
The only “no” vote came from the mayor.
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