Business Guild to Meet About Crosswalks
City continues to drag feet, officials fail to co-sponsor special meeting.
The Key West Business Guild will hold a community meeting Thursday, Aug. 28 to discuss the future of Key West’s Pride crosswalks at the intersection of Duval and Petronia streets prior to the FDOT deadline for a Sept. 3 removal.
The guild is the defacto gay Chamber of Commerce which lists its mission as “Promoting Key West as a LGBT travel destination.”
On Monday, District II city commissioner Sam Kaufman proposed a special meeting in an attempt for the city to come up what a game plan to fight the state’s edict. However, not a single elected official nor the city manager co-sponsored the meeting.
That means the city will impotently consider a game plan and the possibility of engaging outside counsel to fend off the state’s efforts.
At least one high-powered South Florida attorney has offered to represent the city pro bono, but apparently the offer has fallen on deaf ears.
The meeting will take place at the Fredrick Douglass Community Center at 110 Olivia St. from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Participants will include moderater and Key West Business Guild Board President, Dr. Cori Convertito, and will include city leaders, advocates, and community voices "to provide updates on the legal status of the crosswalks, reflect on their history and significance, and explore contingency plans should removal move forward," organizers said in a statement.
City Manager Brian Barroso is expected to participate, along with Equality Florida’s Joe Saunders. Equality Florida bills itself as the state's largest civil rights organization dedicated to defending LGBTQ+ rights.
"A key focus of the discussion will be exploring alternatives to preserve LGBTQ+ visibility and safety in the event the crosswalks are removed," said organizers in a statement.
"These crosswalks are not just symbols of LGBTQ+ pride; they are a reflection the spirit of Key West, a community that values diversity, freedom, and self-expression," said Rob Dougherty, Executive Director of the Key West Business Guild, in a statement. "Their removal, driven by outside political overreach and pressure, sends a troubling message: that decisions made by and for this community can be overridden without our input."
“This meeting will give our community a chance to hear the facts, provide input, and work together on how we move forward," Dougherty said.
The crosswalks in Key West and elsewhere in Florida have come under fire from Florida’s FDOT and the Governor’s Office, in a bid to wipe out political statements on state roads.
Governor Ron DeSantis has said previously that roadways are meant for public safety and not for political statements.
The official notice from FDOT warned that the state would remove the crosswalks by any means after Sept. 3, without further notice and bill the cost to the municipality.
Cities all over Florida are facing deadlines in the next few weeks to remove any non-standard traffic control devices, despite evidence in studies that claim high-visibility crosswalks enhance pedestrian safety.
The most notable instance yet was the removal of Pride crosswalks at the intersection of Esther and S. Orange Ave. in Orlando. The crosswalks were meant to mark the 2016 massacre outside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were gunned down. Despite originally being installed by the FDOT, state workers painted over in the middle of the night by FDOT workers.
Residents and civil rights activists have since recalled the intersection, which the state has removed again, at least once.
The impetus for state action came from the Trump Administrations Transportation secretary, Sean Duffy who gave U.S. governors 60 days to identify what he called safety improvements.
"Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork," Duffy said in a statement at the time.
Now, both federal and state officials are threatening to blackmail communities receiving federal funds if the street art is not removed.
A statement from the Florida Department of Transportation said the agency has a duty "to ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems."
If the state decides to remove Key West’s crosswalks, FDOT workers could be met with physical resistance given the proximity of the crosswalks to two of Key West’s most popular LGBTQ+ bars, the 801 and Bourbon Street, which are open into the early hours of the morning.