Florida Cities Under Pressure To Remove Rainbow Crosswalks

With Florida state officials pushing cities to erase rainbow pedestrian crosswalks painted in support of the LGBTQ+ community, some cities have begun removals while others cities are hoping to submit appeals.

In July U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gave state governors 60 days to identify “safety improvements” and keep roadways, intersections and crosswalks “free of distractions” such as political messaging. The Florida Department of Transportation then issued a memo against “pavement surface art that is associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images.” This month, it sent letters to cities threatening to withhold five years worth of state funds if they did not remove identified road markings by early September.

Civil rights advocates and city leaders agree it’s a transparent anti-LGBTQ move made under the guide of road safety. “They’re basically blackmailing municipalities, counties and states by saying if you don’t do this, we’re going to withhold funding,” Rand Hoch, founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, told NBC Miami.

Removals have begun in cities including Gainesville, Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach. A rainbow crosswalk painted in Orlando to commemorate the Pulse massacre was removed earlier this month, but community advocates and queer allies re-drew the rainbow crosswalk with chalk. Meanwhile, cities including Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach and Key West are requesting FDOT hearings, despite state leaders saying they will remove the crosswalks themselves and bill the city.

The Trump Administration Wants to End Bail Reform in the U.S.

President Trump has issued an executive order to end cashless bail and has threatened to withhold federal funding from states that don’t end those policies. Illinois is the only state that has ended cash bail; some cities and states have limited its use. Experts say it’s unclear if federal authorities can override these state laws.

Black Americans are more than 25% more likely to be held in jail pretrial with bail, and Black and Brown defendants on average receive bail amounts twice as high as amounts set for white defendants, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Instead of having to pay money to be released from jail before a trial, reformers have championed a “cashless bail” system that focuses on a defendant’s rights instead of paying money that they may not have.

The White House has claimed that cashless bail endangers the public and wastes public resources by making law enforcement re-arrest suspects for new crimes while they await trial on the previous charges. Experts say there is no evidence that cashless bail increases recidivism; in some cases, it has reduced it.

States Are Fast-Tracking Their Solar and Wind Permits to Beat the Clock on Federal Deadline

State government leaders throughout the U.S. are fast-tracking their wind and solar projects before federal tax credits that support these projects expire due to the Trump administration, Stateline reports. Leaders in the renewable energy industry are pushing lawmakers to prioritize these projects and to connect them to the grid before the window of opportunity closes.

This comes after the president announced last week that the federal government will not approve new solar or wind power projects throughout the U.S. — despite rising electricity demand. In early July, the president ended the tax credits, which means that these renewable energy projects must start construction by July 4, 2026 to qualify for credits. Projects can also be operational by the end of 2027 to qualify for the federal credits. The loss of these federal tax credits will be devastating — the tax cuts for these renewable energy projects from the previous administration cut down costs anywhere from 30% to 50%.

Blue States That Sued Over CDC Grants Still Have Most of Their Funds

The current administration’s cuts to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for local and state health departments have had unequal effects and are falling across political lines, KFF Health News reports. Blue states have had about 80% of the CDC grants restored, while red states have only seen about 5% of those grants restored.

States with predominantly Democratic voters and leadership that have fought back through lawsuits against the federal government have largely been able to keep their funding. Meanwhile, predominantly GOP-led states have seen major losses in funding for health initiatives.

Since early 2025, the Department of Health and Human services has cancelled more than $10 billion worth of grants nationwide. Many of these grants were awarded during the Covid-19 pandemic and were used to address health disparities among vulnerable communities.

D.C. Mayor Praises Trump’s Enforcement Surge, Angering Residents and Local Electeds

Earlier this month, the Trump administration enacted an increase in federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., citing ‘crime’ in the District. As mayors of Democratic-majority and Black-led cities around the country take a united stand against Trump, Mayor Muriel Bowser instead credited this increase in law enforcement agents with lowering crime in the area.

City council members have rebuked these comments online, calling the increase in law enforcement a ‘siege’ over city residents. “Our residents are afraid, hesitant to go out & to work, angry that our limited autonomy is being eroded. There is nothing welcome about this,” Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau responded.

The president has said other majority Democratic cities are also targets, with Chicago next in line, CNN reports. The administration is also planning a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago in the coming days.

MORE NEWS

• Giving Seattle’s low-income residents cash for fruits and vegetables has worked to improve food security. Seattle Times

• Los Angeles moves to get rid of parking requirements in new housing developments. LAist

• Years later, New Orlean’s post-Katrina recovery has fallen along racial lines. Smart Cities Dive

• New York City gives self-driving taxis a greenlight for a pilot program. Gothamist

• Construction workers in the U.S. have a higher suicide rate compared to other industries. Prism Reports

• This Scottish town turned garages into homes to help ease its housing crisis. BBC

• This Philadelphia high school dropout prevention program works — and it is expanding to more schools. Chalkbeat

• Workers across industries are fighting back for better protections against on the job violence. Capital and Main

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• Smart Growth America is accepting applications for its Community Connectors program from locally-led initiatives to reconnect communities and improve street safety. Apply by Aug. 31.

• Norfolk Southern’s Thriving Communities Grant and Safety First Grant are accepting applications for initiatives that drive community resilience and local economic development; public safety and first responder readiness; and sustainability and workforce development. Apply by Sept. 1.

• The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation is accepting applications for its Preserving Black Churches grant program. Apply by Sept. 12.

• The Ford Foundation’s NYC Good Neighbor Committee is accepting applications from community-based organizations working on arts and culture, education and human services in New York City. Apply by Sept. 30.

• The National Geographic Society is accepting applications to fund innovative projects that make farms, farming communities and natural ecosystems more resilient to the realities of climate change and extreme weather. Apply by Sept. 30.

• Check out Next City’s jobs board for new opportunities.

EVENTS

• Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. Mountain: At Denver’s MATTER, Next City’s Oscar Perry Abello is giving an in-person talk about his book, “The Banks We Deserve.”

• Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern: WHYY and the Free Library of Philadelphia are hosting a dialogue about the importance of green spaces in the city.

• Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. Eastern: Corner to Corner and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities are holding a sponsored webinar about the importance of nonprofit-research partnerships.

• Sept 10 at 6 p.m. Central: Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis is hosting an in-person panel with local civic leaders who are shaping the urban landscapes of tomorrow.

• Sept. 14 at 11 a.m. Eastern: Planner Desiree’ Powell is hosting a virtual zoning 101 class for students and early career professionals to learn more about zoning, land use and their real-world impacts.

• Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern: Urban Institute is holding a hybrid panel event on the promise and challenges of using emerging financial technology for estate planning to preserve generational wealth for vulnerable homeowners.

• Check out events from Next City and our partners here!