WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A new red crosswalk has appeared along South Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, raising some eyebrows after months of the Florida Department of Transportation pushing to eliminate murals from roadways statewide.
FDOT has stated concerns that certain colored paint can distract drivers and that they wanted to remove social, political and ideological messaging from roadways.
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It's a story WPTV covered extensively as FDOT's controversial removal of painted road murals across the state, included a rainbow crosswalk in Delray Beach that was painted in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting where 49 people lost their lives.
It was sandblasted away despite the city's fight to preserve it and a WPTV report that uncovered the mural resulted in fewer crashes at the intersection compared to the same time frame as before it was painted.
Rand Hoch, founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, whose organization helped partially fund the Delray Beach rainbow mural, noticed the new West Palm Beach crosswalk and questioned its installation.
He also called for a new judge to preside over the future of the Delray Beach mural, as the person adjudicating the hearing was an FDOT employee.
"I don't understand anything FDOT is doing," Hoch said. "The only irony is, as you see now, cars are slowing down because there is a painted crosswalk when originally the governor said and the president's people said these are a hazard because they're distracting and people will react negatively."
WPTV's Joel Lopez visited the red crosswalk and noted that both sides of the street have crossing lights that can be triggered by the push of a button.
While on assignment, Lopez noted multiple cars stopping to allow him to cross, even though he had not pressed the button to cross the street.
"It's too bad for the residents, especially the LGBTQ+ community," Hoch said. "Delray Beach tried as best as they could. I miss the rainbows, but what can you do? This will help."
A representative from the city of West Palm Beach said the crosswalk was installed by a developer as part of their project requirements.
The goal of the red paint is to bring attention to the crosswalk for safety purposes for both pedestrians and drivers.
The city said the color is permitted from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and that there are plans to paint additional crosswalks along Flagler Drive to allow for mid-block pedestrian crossings.
Meanwhile, questions remain about FDOT's enforcement consistency.
In a June memorandum, FDOT issued that non-compliant traffic control markings currently installed are to be "immediately" remedied, modified, or replaced.
A nearly mile-long road mural along Rosemary Avenue featuring various designs remains intact, despite FDOT's swift and persistent action to remove the Delray Beach mural.
“It’s not safe to be honest; I almost got hit crossing the street,” Kerby Dorvil stated about the mural along Rosemary Avenue.
He observed how the designs have complicated the lines of traffic, creating confusion for drivers.
"I've noticed cars in the middle of the road going crazy," said Dorvil, who said he's seen cars misidentify the music staff painted on the road for traffic lanes and drive on the wrong side of the street.
FDOT has not responded to requests for comment about the discrepancy since September.
The city said they plan to repave the roadway of Rosemary Avenue, but has not set specific dates for the work.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
