The Miami Herald reports:

The Florida Department of Transportation on Sunday evening began removing the pride-themed crosswalk on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. The Herald observed workers removing the rainbow pavers from the LGBTQ+ crosswalk at the intersection of Ocean Drive and 12th Street shortly after 6 p.m. The crew was seen operating an excavator, and slamming what appeared to be a sledgehammer, to pull out the colorful sidewalk pavers.

A crowd of onlookers — beachgoers, residents and drag queens — formed as the workers removed the crosswalk. “Put a mask on so nobody sees who you are! You’re ashamed!” one man shouted. “You feel good about this?” Miami Beach will forever be a proud and inclusive community – despite the state’s efforts to “chip away at [those values] one brick at a time,” Commissioner Alex Fernandez said. Fernandez added the city didn’t get notice that the “army of workers and heavy machinery” would be on Ocean Drive on Sunday.

Read the full article. The Ocean Drive crosswalk leads to 12th Street Beach, which has been popular with local LGBTQs and tourists for decades.