The Orlando Sentinel is suing Florida’s Department of Transportation for withholding records related to the overnight destruction of the rainbow crosswalk honoring the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre. The crosswalk was removed in August 2025 on orders from Governor Ron DeSantis, without any warning to Orlando city officials, not even the mayor.
After requesting records four months ago and receiving no response, the Sentinel filed suit. In an editorial, the paper asked, “Why the sneak attack?… Why didn’t Orlando get the chance to appeal, as other cities were granted? Most compelling: Why did the [F]DOT destroy a crosswalk that the department itself installed just a few months prior…?” When the Sentinel and other media outlets asked the state for records that would answer those questions, the only response they got was silence.
