According to a new FDOT memo, the crosswalks can lead to "distractions or misunderstandings, jeopardizing both driver and pedestrian safety."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new directive by the Trump administration in accordance with a new memo put forth by the Florida Department of Transportation has ordered that rainbow crosswalks across Jacksonville be removed.
In an X post made Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Sean Duffy, the secretary of the federal agency said progress on infrastructure in the country will "not be paralyzed by the leftist mandates of the last administration."
"Last week, I sent a letter to all recipients of USDOT grants that our department ripped out Biden-era requirements for DEI and environmental justice holding up construction," Duffy's post states.
Duffy went on to say in his post that the USDOT has already cleared nearly half of the 3,200 projects left over from the Biden administration that were announced, but never received funding, adding that the department is "just getting started."
In a July 2 X post, FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue praised the Trump administration's directive, calling it "great" that federal partners align with what he called "common-sense policy."
A June 30 memo from FDOT states the following:
"Non-standard 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. Furthermore, uniform and consistent application of pavement surface markings is critical for the overall effectiveness of automated vehicle operation, as automated vehicle technologies rely heavily on consistent traffic control devices."
The memo applies to crosswalks, bicycle symbols and other pavement surface art that "is associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control," which could mean the rainbow crosswalks in Jacksonville's Five Points and Springfield areas would no longer exist.
The Jacksonville nonprofit organization Riverside Avondale Preservation, who spearheaded the rainbow crosswalks project around the River City, said the crosswalks are meant to "serve as a powerful form of placemaking, transforming a neighborhood street into a symbol of inclusion and community pride."
The nonprofit said Jacksonville city councilman Jimmy Peluso, the Five Points Merchant Association and the AIDS Memorial Project of Northeast Florida endorsed the project.
According to the memo, if a local agency does not comply with it, they could be at risk of having state funds withheld from them.