At first, it appeared that Delray Beach would be able to keep the city’s LGBTQ Pride intersection.
And then, the city couldn’t.
Early last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his Florida counterpart, Jared Perdue, claimed that rainbow crosswalks like those in Delray Beach and many other state cities compromise safety because drivers get distracted. They offered no evidence to support that claim.
Nevertheless, Duffy and Perdue made clear that local governments could lose transportation money if they didn’t remove the artwork. City Manager Terrence Moore said Delray Beach officials consulted with the state and determined that the crosswalk complied with the dictate because it wasn’t on a state road; the intersection is at Northwest Second Street and Northwest First Avenue in Pineapple Grove. Moore relayed that conclusion to me before I left on vacation.
After that “initial observation,” however, Moore asked for a second review. City staffers discussed it with officials at the state transportation department’s regional office in Fort Lauderdale. After those talks, Moore concluded that the city is “legally obligated” to remove the intersection.
That outcome became clear when other cities also began complying reluctantly. Locally, Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach fell into line. The dictate, which was part of a massive transportation bill that the Legislature passed this year, even may apply to commemorations of the 2016 mass killing at Pulse, the gay nightclub in Orlando. Forty-nine people died and 53 were wounded.
When Delray Beach dedicated its intersection in 2021, the recognition carried significance. A former city manager had strongly opposed granting same-sex benefits to city employees. The city commission overruled him.
Duffy said intersections must be “free from distraction,” but there is no evidence that such crosswalks cause accidents. As Delray Beach shows, any safety threat comes from people who oppose the sentiment behind such crosswalks.
Two days after the 2021 dedication of the intersection, which was privately funded by local nonprofits, a participant in a birthday parade for Donald Trump burned his tires over the intersection after a driver goaded him. In February 2024, a driver carrying a Trump flag burned his truck tires over the intersection three times. The third defacing happened last month. In the first two cases, the state attorney’s office went easy on the perpetrators. In the third, cameras did not record the license plate.
In a statement, Moore said removal will begin “in the coming days.” He added, “We understand that this intersection holds deep meaning for many in our LGBTQ+ community and beyond. For many, it is a symbol of pride, visibility, and belonging. While we must adhere to state guidelines, our city remains committed to honoring our values of inclusion, equity, and respect for all.”
Will Delray Beach continue sponsoring Pride festival?
After approving a contract for the removal work, the related item for the city commission will be deciding whether to continue public sponsorship of the city’s Pride festival.
Commissioners debated the issue this year before deciding to continue allocating the $15,000. No similar dictate has come down from Washington/Tallahassee about such events. Private sponsorship could make things easier. Private money financed the original LGBTQ Pride intersection.
The effect of a state rep’s death on Delray Beach politics
The death of State Rep. Joe Casello is rippling through local politics, and it likely will keep rippling in Delray Beach until early next year.
City Commissioner Rob Long already had filed to run in 2026 for Casello’s seat, which includes Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. On that schedule, Long would have completed his term in March.
Now, however, Long must resign early. He has submitted his letter to the city, but the resignation won’t take effect until Dec. 8. That’s the day before the special election to name Casello’s successor until the general election next November.
Once Long leaves, the four remaining commissioners must decide how they will name an interim commissioner until the March election. They have two meetings to do so.
Politics can complicate this seemingly routine assignment. In 2016, the commission deadlocked 2-2 on a replacement for Al Jacquet, who had left for the state House.
Two candidates have filed for Long’s seat. Picking one would give that person an advantage. So would picking someone else, unless that person promised not to run. Any such promise, of course, would not be binding.
Beyond Delray Beach, there’s more jockeying in the wake of Casello’s passing.
Casello, a Democrat, had intended to run for the county commission to succeed term-limited Gregg Weiss in District 2. It’s mostly a central-county seat, but it includes a portion of Boynton Beach.
School board member Erica Whitfield also was going to run in the Democratic primary. She is one of two board members who represent Delray Beach. Her departure may please city commissioners who have been frustrated by what they consider the school district’s lack of support for local schools.
A Delray connection to the PBC’s next potential clerk of courts
Finally, there’s this Delray Beach angle to another vacancy.
Last month, the county commission named Joe Abruzzo county administrator. He had been clerk of courts, which is an elected position.
Abruzzo’s term does not end until 2028. So, Gov. Ron DeSantis will need to name a replacement clerk of courts. I’m told that a likely choice is State Rep. Mike Caruso, a Republican. A longtime accountant in Delray Beach, Caruso represented the city in the state House until redistricting created the Democratic-friendly seat that Casello won. House leaders had punished Caruso for a few votes against what leadership wanted.
Caruso then moved his address from Delray Beach to run in District 87, in north-central Palm Beach County. If he becomes clerk, there will be a special election to fill that seat. Caruso’s wife, Tracy Caruso, already had filed to succeed her husband. In 2021, she ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Delray Beach against Shelly Petrolia.
Boca double murder suspect claims no evidence for charges against him
The man accused of killing two people in Boca Raton and trying to kill a third doesn’t believe that there is evidence to support the charges against him.
De’vante Moss, who for now seems to be representing himself, has asked for an adversary preliminary hearing. Essentially, Moss claims that no probable cause exists and is challenging prosecutors to prove otherwise. Moss was arrested in Georgia after the September 2024 incident outside an oceanfront hotel. Moss also wants to be placed on house arrest.
The next status check is set for Dec. 3.
PBC School District avoids budget crisis
A potential budget crisis for the Palm Beach County School District has been avoided.
The Trump administration announced the release of roughly $6 billion in education money it had frozen, supposedly to verify that the spending would align with administration priorities. The amount for this county was $31.5 million. It goes for summer programs and adult literacy, among other things.
