SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – News 6 is learning that crews in Seminole County spent the weekend painting some “high-visibility” crosswalks from green back to black.

Tom Knuckey was on a bike ride down the Seminole Wekiva Trail Saturday morning when he saw the crossing at EE Williamson Road being painted black.

“I was riding my bike like I do pretty much every Saturday,” said Knuckey. “And I came to this intersection, and I noticed crews were painting over the high-visibility green and white crosswalks. I asked them, ‘Why?’ and they told me they were told to do it.”

Knuckey showed our News 6 crew a photo he took on his phone of a crew in the middle of work at EE Williamson Road. He also shared photos of crossings along International Parkway that had been freshly painted.

“I was in disbelief, because the county has worked really hard to make these trails safer for our county residents,” said Knuckey.

Bright markings at trail crossings have been popping up across the county in recent years as part of an effort to put penny sales tax dollars toward safety improvements.

An excerpt on the county’s website says the initiative is part of a safety enhancement study that was done in 2022, and the bright green crossings result in “lower maintenance costs and a safer crosswalk for cyclists, joggers, and walkers.”

The county also shared information about high-visibility crosswalks that are used nationwide and said both the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and FHWA recommend them because of their safety benefits.

But on Monday, our News 6 team obtained a letter that was sent to the county manager from FDOT on Aug. 21 with a list of 15 “initial” locations where the crossings were not in compliance with state and federal standards:

• East of Lake Mills Rd at 1st Ave – (Crosswalk)

• Eden Park Rd – (Trail Crossing)

• N. of International Pkwy – (Trail Crossing)

• N. of International Pkwy at W. Lake Mary Blvd – (Crosswalk)

• Bear Lake Rd at Dutch Elm Dr – (Crosswalk)

• W. of Lake Mary Blvd at International Pkwy – (Crosswalk)

• Lake Markham Rd at Brackenhurst Pl – (Crosswalk)

• S. Greenwood Blvd (The Crossings) at S. Sun Dr – (Crosswalk)

• EE Williamson Rd at Sunshine Tree Blvd – (Crosswalk)

• General Hutchinson Pkwy at Timocuan Way – (Crosswalk) · Longwood Lake Mary Rd at Ruth Blvd – (Crosswalk)

• Longwood Lake Mary Rd at Howard Blvd – (Crosswalk)

• Ft. Christmas Rd at Downs Ways – (Crosswalk)

• Ft. Christmas Rd at Sultan Circle – (Crosswalk)

• Ft. Christmas Rd at Lake Mills Rd – (Crosswalk)

The letter also states that the county must remove all noncompliant markings by Sept. 4, or the state would do the work itself and charge the county for the removal. The department also warned that state funds would be withheld if the county did not comply.

You can read the full letter at the end of this story.

In July, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to all 50 governors and asked them to coordinate with State DOT and metropolitan planning organizations to create a list of locations with compliance concerns. The letter mentions efforts to improve safety and mobility nationwide as the number of traffic fatalities continues to trend downward.

On X.com, Duffy shared a post with the message: “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks. Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It’s that simple.”

A rainbow crosswalk that was painted outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed in 2016, was painted over last week by the state.

“I mean, clearly you can look at this green and white. It’s not about politics, it’s about safety,” said Knuckey. “It’s about making sure that the motorists can see where these high-volume bicycle crossings are, and also for the cyclists and pedestrians to see that they’re approaching a very high-volume intersection.”

Our News 6 team drove through parts of Seminole County along the trail system Monday and noticed some crossings appeared to be painted black over the weekend, while others nearby remained untouched.

A spokesperson for Seminole County said crews had removed the bright green markings from more than a dozen sites this weekend, and they plan to finish the remaining locations this week.

They also acknowledged the “frustration” from the community, considering the resources that went into installing the high-visibility crossings to begin with.

You can read the county’s full statement below:

“Seminole County is in the process of removing green-painted crosswalks at locations the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently determined to be noncompliant with federal and state traffic control standards.

“On August 21, 2025, FDOT formally directed the County to remove the markings to ensure compliance with the newly updated Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The letter required that these identified noncompliant markings be removed by September 4, 2025, or the Department would perform the removals itself and charge the County the cost.

“County crews began removal over the weekend and have completed more than a dozen sites, with the remaining locations scheduled for completion this week. We understand this change may cause frustration in the community, given the resources that were invested in installing the crosswalks. Seminole County is committed to maintaining safe, accessible, and compliant roadways, and we will continue working with FDOT to identify appropriate safety measures for trail crossings.”