A number of rainbow crosswalks were painted about a year ago on Lomax Street, paid for by Riverside Avondale Preservation. | Google
Published on July 11, 2025 at 4:57 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Pavement markings like the rainbow-striped crosswalks in Five Points could be at risk under new guidance from the Florida Department of Transportation.
An FDOT memo on June 30 said messages or images on pavement can be distracting and FDOT could withhold funding for communities that do not eliminate nonstandard markings, signs and signals.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue posted on X that the policy will “ensure we keep our transportation facilities free & clear of political ideologies.”
Besides the crosswalks on Lomax Street in Five Points, the change could affect artist Ansley Randall’s mural at San Marco Boulevard and Nira Streets.
Exactly what happens next, however, is unclear. The memo ends by stating that the state can allow noncompliant pavement markings or traffic control devices to remain “if the public agency is able to demonstrate good cause for doing so.”
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
City Hall Spokesman Phil Perry said it is too soon to know what may happen locally.
“We’re awaiting further direction from FDOT on any necessary next steps,” Perry said. “The city of Jacksonville, including the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, does not have additional comment right now.”
For background, Perry pointed to Florida Statute 316.0745, which grants FDOT jurisdiction over local roads when it comes to “traffic control devices.” Section 7 of the statute suggests that a complaint, investigation and hearing must take place before removal would be required.”
FDOT did not respond to Jacksonville Today‘s requests for information about which of Jacksonville’s many decorated crosswalks, roadways and intersections may fall under the memorandum’s update.
FDOT Communications Director Michael Williams said only that his department was responding to Senate Bill 1662, which he said directed the department to “ensure compliance with FDOT’s uniform system for traffic control devices.”
“To follow the provisions of the law, FDOT is currently performing an evaluation on facilities across the state,” Williams said.
Riverside Avondale Preservation was behind the multiple rainbow crosswalks on Lomax Street. But the organization is still waiting to hear what happens next, spokesman Travis Joyal said.
“We know very little at this time,” Joyal said in an email. “We too have only seen the memo from the state, and while we can build various scenarios that may be on the horizon, we don’t have any concrete facts. And that’s where we are.”
The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville helped create Ansley Randall’s mural two years ago at San Marco Boulevard and Nira Street as part of a continuing public art project.
Kat Wright, director of public art for the nonprofit, disputes some of the state’s concerns. Studies have shown that asphalt art provides more visibility to crosswalks and intersections, leading to a decrease in car crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists, she said.
“Ansley Randall’s intersection mural … will need to be removed in compliance with the national secretary of transportation’s requirement,” Wright said. “We are partnering with the city to meet all requirements and respond to any concerns as they arise. We remain committed to bringing public art to life in other meaningful and innovative ways to the benefit of our city and continue destination building together.”
The FDOT memo was issued by the department’s assistant secretary, Will Watts, to highlight state laws requiring all traffic control devices, including pavement markings, to comply with FDOT’s standards.
The memo defines “nonstandard” images as “any pavement markings that do not meet the color, shape, or dimensions” of the department’s uniform traffic control manual. That includes “elements such as bicycle symbols, crosswalk markings, or other pavement surface art that is associated with social, political or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control.”
The memo said the policy received support from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who sent a letter to every governor asking that their states participate in a program to reduce distractions on the road.
“Far too many Americans die each year to traffic fatalities to take our eye off the ball,” Duffy’s letter said. The U.S. Department of Transportation “stands ready to help communities across the country to make their roads safer and easier to navigate.”
