February 24 2026, 08:15 
The city of St. Petersburg, Florida, has continued to find ways to support its LGBTQ+ community amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) crusade to eradicate rainbow crosswalks from the state.
Most recently, the organizers of Winter Pride St. Pete lit up the night sky with an impressive rainbow laser display visible from more than 60 miles away.
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Winter Pride St. Pete executive director Rob Hall called the light show “a remarkable moment,” confirming it was a direct response to the LGBTQ+ erasure taking place in the state.
He told Fox 13 that he knew he should come to St. Petersburg after he came out as an adult. He said the rainbow crosswalk he saw when he got there, which has since been removed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), was “life-changing.”
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“When it was removed, it had a significant impact on my heart,” he said.
The light display was designed by laser artist Yvette Mattern, who said she was “so proud to be able to do this where that rainbow crosswalk was taken away.”
The state of Florida has become the epicenter of Republicans’ crackdown on rainbow crosswalks. The DeSantis administration has heeded warnings from federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has falsely claimed Pride art is distracting to drivers.
Duffy wrote in a July 1 letter to the nation’s governors that all non-freeway intersections and crosswalks must be kept “free from distractions.” In a subsequent X post, he said, “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”
In response, DeSantis signed a law directing the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) “to ensure compliance with FDOT’s uniform system for traffic control devices,” according to a July statement from a department spokesperson. The law effectively bans all pavement art and murals like rainbow crosswalks, regardless of their political message.
The DeSantis administration has been aggressive about ensuring the crosswalks are erased, despite protests and resistance from local leaders.
St. Petersburg officials ultimately complied with the order to remove its crosswalks upon the threat of losing state funding, but Mayor Welch made it clear in August that he would not stand down from defending progressive values.
In a press conference, Welch called the order to remove the crosswalks an attempt by the state “to usurp local values and priorities and instead mandate what our values should be.”
“We’ve seen the attempts to stifle our ability to express and celebrate our community values,” he added. “Yet time and time again, our community has risen to the occasion. And this latest challenge will be no exception.”
A post from the city’s official social media account said the murals that had to be removed – which included one declaring, Black History Matters – “reflect the soul of our community.”
“That message can’t be erased. This is our city, our voice, and our story… Together, we’ll continue building a community that is resilient, inclusive, and united.”
The display, however, is not the first act of rebellion the city has taken since the crosswalk’s removal. In December, it unveiled 11 Pride-themed bike racks. “Pride on the streets!” declared a social media post from the city and Mayor Welch, who called the bike racks “a vibrant way to honor the Pride street murals that were removed earlier this year due to state requirements.”
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