MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Rainbow-painted crosswalks have disappeared in much of Florida. The state Department of Transportation has called them a safety issue. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said the street should not be used for political messages. In Tampa, the city government has decided to eliminate all its street art, including one that honors police. Meghan Bowman with member station WUSF went to see it before the mural was erased.
MEGHAN BOWMAN, BYLINE: Outside Tampa's downtown police station, a black, white and blue street mural covers the asphalt for nearly a block. It says, back the blue.
REBECCA HESSINGER: I came to take a picture of it before it's disappeared.
BOWMAN: Rebecca Hessinger is a community planner for Hillsborough County. The mural is slated to be gone within the next two weeks.
HESSINGER: It just is stupid. Why would you do that? It doesn't harm the traffic. The traffic can figure this out.
BOWMAN: A 2022 study found a 50% drop in crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists when asphalt art is present. But the Florida Department of Transportation says they're a safety hazard. Empowered by a new state law, it sent a letter to cities in July telling them to get rid of any permanent street art with political, social or ideological messaging or risk losing government funding. Tampa resident JJ Irish walks by the back the blue mural nearly every day on his lunch break. He likes it and thinks it brings people together. He doesn't buy the reason for the removal.
JJ IRISH: I think it's more than just the colors and the DOT safety. It means more to the community. So in my opinion, it's kind of BS.
BOWMAN: In Orlando in August, under the cover of darkness, transportation officials removed a rainbow crosswalk honoring 49 victims of the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub. The next day, people recolored the asphalt with chalk. Rain washed it away, but they colored it again. Governor Ron DeSantis says the streets had been commandeered by political messaging.
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RON DESANTIS: We're not going to use the roads for that purpose. The roads are there for either pedestrians to cross or cars to go, and that's what it's going to be.
BOWMAN: Another victim of the street art sweep in Tampa are murals in crosswalks around schools. Some of them won awards from the state four years ago for innovation and traffic calming and improved safety.
For NPR News, I'm Meghan Bowman in Tampa.
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