FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Fort Lauderdale city leaders decided Wednesday to fight the state of Florida's order to remove rainbow-colored street art, potentially risking millions of dollars in funding.
At the end of a special meeting that lasted more than three hours and included comment from more than 40 speakers, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted unanimously to file an administrative appeal against an order to cover four street art installations in the city, including a large rainbow-colored LGBTQ+ pride flag.
“Tonight, we must stand our ground,” Mayor Dean Trantalis said. “We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied into submission and to allow others to dictate what we should do in our own communities.”
Commissioners also voted 4-1 to instruct the city attorney's office to p