FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A new Florida law cracking down on non-standard street art is drawing criticism from community members and local officials, who say the move threatens public expression and identity.

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The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) released a statement June 30 citing safety concerns as the reason for enforcing a uniform standard across roadways.

“Non-standard surface markings, signage, and signals that do not directly contribute to traffic safety or control can lead to distractions or misunderstandings, jeopardizing both driver and pedestrian safety,” the department stated.

In response, cities like Boynton Beach have already begun removing street art. A rainbow-painted intersection was recently covered up by city workers following the new directive.

For residents like Cedrick Green, the policy feels like a step backward.

“It’s disheartening and out of bounce because why would you want to dull a community that’s so vibrant,” Green said.

Others questioned the state’s priorities.

“I actually think it’s kind of crazy that the street art would be considered distracting,” said Heather Clarke. “I don’t find it distracting at all. I think the pot holes and things like that are more distracting.”

Wilton Manors Vice Mayor/ Commissioner Chris Caputo said the directive could erase meaningful community symbols, including those that honor victims of tragedy.

“It really gives a sense of community. You know when you are in Wilton Manors because you see the rainbow bridge,” Caputo said. “I think in places like Orlando that has the Pulse memorial rainbow crosswalk — 49 people lost their lives — this gives the something to honor those people. Now it’s going to get painted over and become an unsafe crosswalk.”

Caputo also criticized the law’s potential financial impact on cities.

“It’s really frustrating because it’s essentially blackmail,” he said. “They are saying that they are going to withhold funds, that are critically needed funds, that cities and municipalities couldn’t keep roadways safe without unless you do this.”

Cities across the state — including Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach and Wilton Manors — have either removed or are facing pressure to remove their pride crosswalks.

In Key West, Commissioner Sam Kaufman issued a strong response to FDOT’s directive, calling the rainbow crosswalks on Duval Street a symbol of the city’s identity.

“Key West’s rainbow crosswalk isn’t just a splash of color — it’s a reflection of our identity, our history, and our values,” Kaufman wrote in an email shared with the City Manager Brian Barroso and City Attorney Kendal Harden. “This city has long been a champion of inclusion and creativity, and that crosswalk is one of the many ways we honor those traditions.”

Kaufman also raised concerns about state overreach into local matters.

“Efforts to regulate or erase it from afar ignore a fundamental principle: home rule,” he said. “Florida is a state full of vibrant, diverse cities — each with its own heartbeat. We should be embracing that, not mandating uniformity.”

He called on the city’s legal department to explore options for resisting or challenging the directive, including the possibility of requesting an exemption under FDOT guidelines.

Other cities could soon face the same dilemma. Crosswalks in Miami Beach and Key West may be affected, though local officials have yet to announce how they plan to respond.

West Palm Beach has already confirmed it will remove its pride-themed crosswalk. Delray Beach also features pride sidewalk art that could be subject to removal.

Despite the state’s safety rationale, some residents say the loss of public art would do more harm than good.

“It brings a sense of community, in a time when we genuinely very much need that,” Clarke said.

FDOT officials confirmed that the law stems from Senate Bill 1662, which was passed during the most recent legislative session to “ensure compliance with FDOT’s uniform system for traffic control devices.”

The agency said it is currently conducting an evaluation on facilities across the state.

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A Venezuelan man detained at a Florida facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is alleging inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of medical care.

“For us, the conditions are fatal,” Enzo Aspite told CBS News Miami, although there are no reported deaths at the facility. 

Aspite’s family says they only learned of his detention when he called them from inside the facility. The call, which dropped multiple times, was monitored and interrupted by automated warnings.

A check of Aspite’s criminal history shows at least seven arrests. He is originally from Venezuela and says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took him into custody on July 4 after his Temporary Protected Status expired. He was transferred to the facility on July 5.

“This is not for human beings”

CBS News Miami translated Aspite’s phone interview from Spanish to English. He agreed to let the station record and broadcast the conversation.

“This is not for human beings,” Aspite said. “We bathe one day, yes, and three days no. The lights are never turned off. We have no place for recreation. The food is given at different times. Giving us medication is awful. There is no doctor to see you.”

Aspite said he is living under a hot tent that leaks when it rains. “The sound of the rain on the tarp is frightening,” he said.

State denies allegations, says facility meets standards

CBS News Miami reached out to ICE and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) to verify Aspite’s claims. ICE referred questions to the state, which denied the allegations.

“There is a 24/7, fully staffed medical facility with pharmacy on site and there is working air conditioning throughout the facility,” an FDEM spokesperson said in a statement.

Allegations of inconsistent meals, lack of privacy

Aspite said he receives one hot and one cold meal each day, typically consisting of a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple and chips. When asked about his last meal, he said he had eaten that morning, but not since the previous afternoon.

“They have us in a cage like chickens,” he said. “There are 32 people in each cage. We have no rights here. When we need something, they ignore us.”

He also described a lack of privacy. “When we want to use the bathroom, we can’t because they see everything,” he said. “Above us we have a camera.”

Sanitation concerns met with state response

Aspite also expressed concerns about sanitation.

“The toilets back up and it’s something very horrible,” Aspite said. 

In response to concerns about sanitation, FDEM said, “All wastewater is hard-pumped into 22,000-gallon frac tanks, maintained below 50% capacity and pumped daily to minimize transfers. Tanks, hoses and connections are fully contained to prevent spills and are regularly inspected to ensure zero environmental impact.”

Legal limbo and family desperation

Aspite said he has not signed any documents handed to him. His girlfriend told CBS News Miami that he does not have a lawyer. While Aspite does not want to return to Venezuela, his family said they just want him out of the facility.

“There have been no reported deaths at Alligator Alcatraz,” CBS News Miami confirmed, “but Aspite and his family want the public to know what he says is happening inside.”

• The robots mimic the movements and body temperature of real rabbits, a favored prey of pythons.
• The project is funded by the South Florida Water Management District and builds upon previous research on python behavior.
• Researchers hope this innovative approach will be a “game changer” in controlling the python population.

Scattered in python hot spots among the cypress and sawgrass of South Florida is the state’s newest weapon in its arsenal to battle the invasive serpent, a mechanical lure meant to entice the apex predator to its ultimate demise.

Just don’t call it the Energizer bunny.  

Researchers at the University of Florida have outfitted 40 furry toy rabbits with motors and tiny heaters that work together to mimic the movements and body temperature of a marsh rabbit — a favorite python meal.

They spin. They shake. They move randomly, and their creation is based on more than a decade of scientific review that began with a 2012 study that transported rabbits into Everglades National Park to see if, and how quickly, they would become python prey.

“The rabbits didn’t fare well,” said Robert McCleery, a UF professor of wildlife ecology and conservation who is leading the robot bunny study that launched this summer.

Subsequent studies revealed that pythons are drawn to live rabbits in pens with an average python attraction rate of about one python per week. But having multiple live rabbits in multiple pens spread across a formidable landscape is cumbersome and requires too much manpower to care for them.

So, why not robot bunnies?

“We want to capture all of the processes that an actual rabbit would give off,” McCleery said. “But I’m an ecologist. I’m not someone who sits around making robots.”

Instead, colleague Chris Dutton, also a UF ecology professor but more mechanically adept, pulled the stuffing out of a toy rabbit and replaced it with 30 electronic components that are solar-powered and controlled remotely so that researchers can turn them on and off at specific times.

The rabbits were placed in different areas of South Florida in July 2025 for a test phase that includes a camera programmed to recognize python movement and alert researchers when one nears the rabbit pen. One of the biggest challenges was waterproofing the bunnies so that the correct temperature could still be radiated.

Python challenge: Why state recommends not eating Florida pythons

McCleery was reluctant to give specifics on where the rabbit pens are located.  

“I don’t want people hunting down my robo-bunnies,” he said.

Version 2.0 of the study will add bunny scent to the stuffed rabbits if motion and heat aren’t enough to fool the snakes.

State efforts to mitigate python proliferation have included a myriad of efforts with varying degrees of success.

Renowned snake hunters from the Irula tribe in India were brought in to hunt and share their skills. There have been tests using near-infrared cameras for python detection, special traps designed, and pythons are tracked by the DNA they shed in water, with radio telemetry, and with dogs. Also, the annual Florida Python Challenge has gained legendary status, attracting hundreds of hunters each year vying for the $10,000 grand prize.

This year’s challenge runs July 11 through July 20. As of the first day of the challenge, there were 778 registered participants, from 29 states and Canada.

But possibly the highest profile python elimination program is the 100 bounty hunters who work for the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The hunters have removed an estimated 15,800 snakes since 2019 and were called the “most effective management strategy in the history of the issue” by district invasive animal biologist Mike Kirkland.

Kirkland oversees the district’s hunters. He gave a presentation July 7 to the Big Cypress Basin Board with updates on python removal that included McCleery’s robo-bunny experiment, which the district is paying for.

“It’s projects like (McCleery’s) that can be used in areas of important ecological significance where we can entice the pythons to come out of their hiding places and come to us,” Kirkland said at the board meeting. “It could be a bit of a game changer.”

The Burmese python invasion started with releases — intentional or not — that allowed them to gain a foothold in Everglades National Park by the mid-1980s, according to the 2021 Florida Python Control plan. By 2000, multiple generations of pythons were living in the park, which is noted in a more than 100-page 2023 report that summarized decades of python research.

Pythons have migrated north from the park, with some evidence suggesting they may be able to survive as far north as Georgia if temperatures continue to warm and more pythons learn to burrow during cold snaps.

More: Snake hunters catch 95% of pythons they see. Help sought to kill the ones that are hiding

In Palm Beach County, 69 pythons have been captured since 2006, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, or EDDMapS. In addition, four have been found dead, and 24 sightings have been reported.

Big Cypress Basin board member Michelle McLeod called McCleery’s project a “genius idea” that eliminates the extra work it would take to manage live rabbits.

McCleery said he’s pleased that the water management district and FWC, which has paid for previous studies, are willing to experiment.

“Our partners have allowed us to trial these things that may sound a little crazy,” McCleery said. “Working in the Everglades for 10 years, you get tired of documenting the problem. You want to address it.”

McCleery said researchers did not name the robot rabbits, although he did bring one home that needed repair. His son named it “Bunbun.”

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.