Politico: “It may not be Florida’s version of Bridgegate, but a dustup over the use of rainbow-colored lights for Pride Month on a Jacksonville bridge spilled over into denials (Gov. Ron DeSantis) and pointed fingers (Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried). It began when local officials in Jacksonville chose to light up a local bridge in honor of Pride Month. State transportation officials intervened, saying the lights violated certain permits, and they were switched back to blue late Tuesday night. This decision was seen as yet another slap to the LGBTQ community by the DeSantis administration given that the governor signed a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in girls and women’s sports on the first day of Pride Month. The governor also recently vetoed money for those affected by the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. (The 5-year anniversary of that tragedy is this Saturday by the way.)”

“Follow you, follow me – But the governor’s office insisted they had nothing to do with nixing the rainbow lights. The governor ‘was not involved in the decision and it’s absurd to think otherwise,’ DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said in an email. By Wednesday night, the lights were back to their rainbow-color scheme. The Florida Times-Union – which chronicled the lights drama in detail – reported that there were ‘several complaints’ about the lights which led to the transportation department to point out the scheme violated permit terms. But to some, this explanation rang hollow since the state also denied a request to use rainbow lights on a bridge in Sarasota. Beth Frady, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, said that ‘the assumption there was a decision to disallow LGBTQ rainbow-themed lights on bridges in cities across the state is not true.'”