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Florida
Florida law targets colored crosswalks, prompting outcry from local communities
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.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
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Florida
Jury selection continues in fatal boat crash trial of South Florida real estate mogul George Pino
MIAMI — A new group of prospective jurors was questioned Tuesday in the trial of South Florida real estate mogul George Pino, who is charged in connection with a 2022 boat crash that killed a teenager in Miami-Dade County.
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During jury selection in a Miami-Dade courtroom, Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez asked potential jurors what they already knew about the case and whether they had recently seen or heard anything about it.
Several prospective jurors said they knew only basic details, including that a fatal boating crash occurred and that a teenage girl died. Others said they recalled media reports that alcohol may have been involved.
As questioning continued, some prospective jurors disclosed connections to schools and communities tied to the case.
Passengers aboard Pino’s boat included his wife, his teenage daughter and 11 of her friends, many of whom attended private schools in Miami-Dade County.
One prospective juror said they graduated from a local private school around the time of the crash and were familiar with some of the students involved.
Another said references to schools and witnesses brought back memories of seeing posts and articles about the incident shared on social media.
A third said their child participates in youth sports with students from schools connected to the case.
Investigators said the boat struck a channel marker while returning from an outing on Biscayne Bay. Seventeen-year-old Lourdes Academy student Lucy Fernandez drowned after the crash.
Tinkler Mendez also addressed concerns that a prospective juror had been viewing a news report about the case on a cellphone while waiting outside the courtroom.
Another prospective juror reported hearing the report but said it was not loud enough for everyone in the area to hear.
Tinkler Mendez reminded prospective jurors to avoid news coverage and social media discussions related to the case as jury selection continues.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
STARKE, Fla. — A Florida man who confessed to killing his girlfriend’s infant daughter and throwing her body in a pond three decades ago is set to be executed Tuesday evening.
Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in 1997 for the death a year earlier of 5-month-old Gabrielle Hanshaw.
This would be Florida’s eighth execution so far this year, following a record 19 executions in 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was set in 2014 with eight executions.
According to court records, Lukehart was watching his girlfriend’s baby in February 1996 while his girlfriend was caring for her older daughter, who had been ill. At some point, the girlfriend said Lukehart drove away from their Jacksonville home, and she couldn’t find baby Gabrielle. Lukehart called his girlfriend about 30 minutes later and told her to call police because the baby had been kidnapped and he was chasing the kidnapper.
Later that evening, Lukehart was found in a neighboring county after driving his car off the road. During questioning the next day, Lukehart told investigators that Gabrielle died after he dropped the baby on her head and then shook her. He told police that he panicked and threw the baby in a pond. Law enforcement officers searched the pond and found the child’s body.
The Florida Supreme Court denied Lukehart’s appeals last week. His attorneys had claimed that medication he was taking for kidney disease could have a negative reaction with the lethal injection drugs. They also argued that having only a month between the signing of Lukehart’s death warrant and the execution deprived him of his due process.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Lukehart’s final appeal on Monday.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for second with five executions each.
Another execution is planned in Florida later this month. Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, was convicted of fatally stabbing his wife in 1992.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
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