Locals Defy DeSantis Pride Light Ban, Light Bridge Up With Flashlights In Jacksonville

The Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville was lit up in rainbow colors, despite DeSantis declaring "Freedom Summer," which would replace all Pride lights with red, white, and blue.

Jacksonville Bridge Protest - Photo Credit: Jimmy Midyette, used with permission.

On Friday night, Jacksonville residents took to the Main Street Bridge to celebrate Pride Month. Just weeks prior, Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration and the Florida Department of Transportation issued an edict banning rainbow-colored lighting on bridges during Pride Month, mandating that all such lighting be replaced with red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag. Residents, however, were undeterred. They carried flashlights and rainbow gels, took their positions, and proceeded to light up the bridge themselves.

Weeks ago, Manatee County Commission Chairman Mike Rahn objected to Pride lighting on bridges in Florida. Many bridges in the state, such as the Skyway Bridge in Tampa and the Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville, have been lit up in rainbow colors in previous years. This year, however, Rahn attempted to stop such lights from going up on the Skyway Bridge, formally objecting to the lighting. He expressed that the decision did not lie with him, passing the blame to Governor DeSantis. Rahn stated, “I do not have the authority to override the governor of the state of Florida. However, in my opinion, the lighting of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is an FDOT matter and should not be left to the individual counties.”

In response, Jared Perdue of the Florida Department of Transportation declared that this year, bridges would be lit up in red, white, and blue all summer. This decision bars Pride lighting, Juneteenth lighting, and many other special lighting days on bridges in Florida. Perdue stated in a tweet, “As Floridians prepare for Freedom Summer, Florida's bridges will follow suit, illuminating in red, white, and blue from Memorial Day through Labor Day! Thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida continues to be the freest state in the nation.”

The use of the word "freedom" while taking away the choice to light up bridges for Pride Month struck Matthew McCallister, who organized the bridge lighting event on Friday night, as "Orwellian." In an interview with News 4 Jax, McCallister responded to the rainbow Pride light ban, saying, “The timing of that is really strange. The idea that we are going to celebrate freedom by giving you absolutely no choices seems Orwellian, honestly.”

Florida has been particularly harsh towards LGBTQ+ people in recent years. The state has enacted laws barring LGBTQ+ teachers from showing movies with gay characters, banning 80% of adult transgender healthcare, and prohibiting transgender people from using bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity under threat of arrest. However, there are signs of pushback this year: the state failed to pass a single explicitly anti-LGBTQ+ law, leading some local advocates to declare that “the tide is turning.” Despite this, Governor DeSantis has continued to wield his power against LGBTQ+ people without involving the legislature, as demonstrated by the Pride lighting ban.

This action is not the only one expected to happen on Florida bridges. A march is scheduled for the larger Acosta Bridge at the end of the month where similar citizen lighting is expected to occur later this month. Organizers for that event have a message of defiance for the Pride light bans: “Lights or no lights, there will always be rainbows on the Acosta Bridge in June.”