Rainbow crosswalk removed from Miami Beach amid protests

One of the most iconic symbols in Miami Beach is gone after crews with the Florida Department of Transportation removed the rainbow crosswalk from Ocean Drive on Sunday night

One of the most iconic symbols in Miami Beach is gone after crews with the Florida Department of Transportation removed the rainbow crosswalk from Ocean Drive on Sunday night.

The removal comes just days after the city lost its appeal to keep the crosswalk, following an order from FDOT to remove pavement art used for social, political or ideological messages or lose state funding.

Now, all of the colorful bricks are gone, covered by black pavement.

To many, including Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez, the walkway was a symbol of pride and resilience.

“This is the story of people’s lives. Who’ve suffered decades of injustice, of inequality of discrimination. Then we overcame that,” Fernandez said. “That was the story being told by these bricks. We can’t lose that.”