(AP) — Multiple Florida cities are now facing deadlines in the coming days after being ordered to paint over or remove so-called rainbow crosswalks, brightly colored street crossings meant to celebrate gay rights and LGBTQ pride.

In letters from the state transportation department, communities are being ordered to remove them by early next month.

“I am outraged by the State of Florida’s decision to forcefully remove Pride crosswalks — symbols of love, support, and unity in our communities,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday.

“These vibrant installations are more than paint on pavement. They reflect the values we hold dear in Miami-Dade: respect, appreciation of fellow neighbors, and the fundamental right to live and love openly,” she said in a statement.

Communities across Florida are deciding whether to comply or defy the orders after this week’s removal of a rainbow-colored crossing marking the 2016 massacre outside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were gunned down. It was painted over in the middle of the night by work crews.

The issue has been simmering since a July 1 directive from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who gave U.S. governors 60 days to identify what he called safety improvements.

“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Duffy said in a statement at the time.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said on X: “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”

A statement from the Florida Department of Transportation said the agency has a duty “to ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems.”