The clock is ticking for Key West’s colorful, rainbow crosswalks.
Key West city manager Brian L. Barroso received a letter late on Aug. 15 from the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 6 secretary Daniel Iglesias, demanding that the colorful crosswalks at Duval and Petronia streets be removed by Sept. 3.
“That’s the bad news,” Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez said on Aug. 18. “The better news, sort of, is that FDOT has scheduled an administrative hearing for the city at 10 a.m. on Sept. 3 in Orlando, and we intend to fight for our crosswalks. I’ve spoken with the city manager and our interim city attorney and we feel we’re in compliance (with FDOT design guidelines for street markings) with at least two of the four crosswalks at that intersection because we’ve had engineers out there who said they are compliant with FDOT requirements.
“It’s not a state road,” the mayor continued. “The speed limit is only 15 mph and there have been no accidents in that intersection due to the crosswalks.” She added that a city commission meeting is scheduled for Sept. 3 conflicting with the hearing in Orlando. “Otherwise I would certainly be up in Orlando, but our interim city attorney and other city leaders will attend the hearing.”
That hearing will take place at the Florida Turnpike Enterprise offices in Orlando.
But it is unknown how helpful that hearing will be, given the wording of the Aug. 15 letter from FDOT’s District 6 secretary Daniel Iglesias, who wrote:
“Many local jurisdictions received (a prior) memorandum (about noncompliant pavement markings) and immediately began undertaking actions to ensure compliance,” the letter states. “However, the City of Key West has publicly stated it does not intend to comply. … As required by state law, if the pavement markings are not removed by Sept. 3, 2025, the Florida Department of Transportation will remove them by any appropriate method necessary without further notice.
“You are further notified that if the markings are removed by the department, all costs associated with the removal will be assessed against the City of Key West. You may avoid these costs by removing the pavement markings and then notifying the department of compliance immediately.
“Any additional violations by the City of Key West shall be cause for the immediate withholding of state funds.
“You are further notified that you may file a request for an administrative proceeding pursuant to Chapter 120, Florida Statutes as set forth in the enclosed Notice of Administrative Hearing Rights. If you request a hearing, the department has reserved time on Sept. 3, 2025 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Florida Turnpike Enterprise’s offices in Orlando. …
“Please be advised that the hearing will not involve a request for an exception or waiver to permit the nonconforming pavement markings to remain in place. The department has already reviewed the pavement markings at the location mentioned above and determined that the pavement markings will not be allowed.”
City Commissioner Sam Kaufman, who is a lawyer, took particular exception to the above wording in the Aug. 15 letter from FDOT regarding a request for an exception or waiver.
“I am especially troubled that FDOT, in its letter, declared that no waiver or exception would be granted, even before the City submitted such a request,” Kaufman told the Keys Weekly. “That kind of pre-determination denies Key West due process. I have urged our city attorney to mount a strong defense at the Sept. 3 administrative hearing, and I believe we should retain specialized legal counsel to handle this matter properly. The city should also explore filing an injunction and a declaratory judgment action, so that the courts — not just the state — can determine whether our crosswalks meet FDOT’s standards.”
The language in the Aug. 15 letter from FDOT also seems to conflict with the state’s own law. Florida Statute 316.0745, which was passed in 2024 and covers “uniform traffic control,” states in paragraph 8, “The Department of Transportation is authorized to permit traffic control devices not in conformity with the uniform system upon showing of good cause.”
Key West officials and residents plan to make a case for good cause at the hearing. Stay tuned to keysweekly.com for additional details about attending the administrative hearing.
Politics or public safety?
Kaufman has questioned whether the state’s motives in targeting pride crosswalks in multiple cities are based on politics or public safety.
“Our law enforcement officers tell us there has not been a single accident, or any incident involving the crosswalks and they’ve been there for many years,” Kaufman said on Sunday, Aug. 17, when he appeared on “This Week in South Florida” aired by Local 10 News in Miami. “So it seems to me that (the state’s efforts) are content based, according to what the symbol is on the ground as opposed to actual safety issues.”
Kaufman told the Keys Weekly on Tuesday, Aug. 19, “These crosswalks were installed years ago by a licensed contractor who followed FDOT’s own design manual, which has not changed since that time. To now claim they are noncompliant seems inconsistent with the department’s own guidelines.”
City Commissioner Donie Lee said he was disappointed, “but not surprised,” by FDOT’s latest demand and deadline for removal.
“It’s unbelievable that with all the important issues that face our state and city, this is what we have to spend so much time and resources on,” Lee said. “We will continue to evaluate all of our options to try and keep the crosswalks that we believe meet FDOT standards.”
Will state target Tallahassee’s painted crosswalks?
Kaufman directed the Keys Weekly to a grant-funded project called Crosswalks to Classrooms that since 2023 has paired artists from the Tallahassee and Tampa areas with students from seven schools to transform 14 busy crosswalks into works of art.
“The 2023 Knight Creative Communities Institute created asphalt art projects at intersections and crosswalks in Tallahassee to improve safety for students and drivers as they travel to and from school,” states the project website. “The Crosswalks to Classrooms initiative incorporates STEAM principles and pairs local artists with students to create visually appealing art to bring attention to drivers that students may be crossing the road, so they should be alert and slow down.”
When it comes to pedestrian and driver safety, the nonprofit Knight Creative Communities Institute “worked with both Leon County Government and Florida State University to determine if the installation of artistic crosswalks make a difference,” the website states.
Studies show creative crosswalks slow traffic
Turns out, the painted crosswalks led to “significant reductions of speed from 37 to 29 mph” — a 22% decrease — in one location. An FSU study also assessed drivers’ behavior outside two elementary schools with painted crosswalks.
“Their findings show a 10% decrease in drivers running intersection stop signs and a 6% increase in drivers coming to a full stop at intersections.
“Similar findings are available at the national level, too,” the KCCI website states, citing Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2022 Asphalt Art Safety Study. “Comparing the average of crash rates for before-and-after analysis periods, results from the Historical Crash Analysis include:
- 50% decrease in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians or other vulnerable road users
- 37% decrease in the rate of crashes leading to injuries
- 17% decrease in the total crash rate
Similarly, The Observational Behavior Assessment indicates:
- 25% decrease in pedestrian crossings involving a conflict with drivers
- 27% increase in frequency of drivers immediately yielding to pedestrians with the right of way
- 38% decrease in pedestrians crossing against the walk signal
Representatives from KCCI’s Crosswalks to Classrooms initiative did not immediately reply to an email sent after 5 p.m. on Wednesday asking whether the painted crosswalks in Tampa and Tallahassee are in the state’s crosshairs for removal.
The Keys Weekly contacted the FDOT District 7 office, which serves the Tampa Bay area. A staff member there said the multiple Crosswalks to Classrooms murals, which include colorful, geometric and abstract designs, would likely have to be removed to comply with the latest state mandate. It is unknown whether those crosswalks were given a Sept. 3 deadline for removal.
If the FDOT is not as aggressive in targeting those Crosswalks to Classrooms street paintings as it is in ordering the removal of pride-related crosswalks, “it could seem like selective enforcement,” Kaufman said.
