A rainbow crosswalk was removed overnight outside of Pulse nightclub in Orlando, one of the most significant LGBTQ sites in Florida, as part of state and federal transportation officials’ aim to wipe “political banners” from public roadways.

“The Florida Department of Transportation, in the middle of the night, ripped rainbow colors off of a city street,” said state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, who visited the site Thursday morning.

Smith, the first openly gay Hispanic legislator in Florida, added the rainbow was intended to be “a tribute to 49 mostly LGBTQ people of color who were murdered here in cold blood” in the 2016 Pulse shooting.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer confirmed in a statement that the state was responsible for the removal and the city was not notified in advance.

Orlando Cit

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