By Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — Orlando officials on Thursday condemned the state’s overnight removal of a rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub – a commemoration of the 49 people killed at the LGBTQ-friendly nightclub in 2016.

Painting over one of the most important landmarks of the state’s LGBTQ community is part of a larger attack on LGBTQ people by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration, officials say.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he was “devastated” by the removal of the Pulse memorial crosswalk.

“This callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nation’s largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety or discussion, is a cruel political act,” Dyer said in a post on X.

The crosswalk was installed by the state in 2017 and adheres to national safety standards, Dyer added. The colorful crosswalk added visibility, making it safer for the large number of visitors to the memorial, he said.

CNN has reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation for comment.

The removal comes only two months after the city marked the nine-year anniversary of the Pulse tragedy. On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire at the popular gay nightclub, making it the worst mass shooting in modern US history at the time.

The removal also comes during campaigns by the state and Trump administration to paint over “asphalt art,” including rainbow crosswalks. The dual directives are calling this a safety measure to make roads easier to navigate without distractions.

In June, the Florida Department of Transportation issued a memo prohibiting crosswalk markings and pavement surface art “associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control.”

The following month, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to governors of all 50 states saying intersections and crosswalks should be “kept free from distractions.”

“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” Duffy said about the letter in an X post on July 1. “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.”

Since the state and federal directives were issued, Florida cities including Delray Beach and Key West were ordered by the Florida Department of Transportation to remove rainbow crosswalks by September 3, and Boynton Beach painted over its rainbow intersection in July.

Florida state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the first openly LGBTQ Latino elected to the Florida legislature, called the removal of the crosswalk a “disgusting act of betrayal” and a “bigoted decision by the state of Florida.”

“I cannot believe that the DeSantis administration has engaged in this hostile act against the city of Orlando, that they have insulted the families and survivors of this horrific tragedy,” Smith said in a video posted to social media.

In another post, Smith shared a photo of himself and two other people coloring in the crosswalk with chalk. A handful of residents had gathered at the crosswalk and waved rainbow colored flags after reports circulated about it being painted over, according to the Associated Press.

DeSantis said in a post on X Thursday: “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”

Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, the city’s first openly gay elected official, posted a photo of herself wearing a rainbow shirt with thumbs down at the painted over crosswalk. “No notification. No due process. So angry. They can’t erase us,” she said in a Facebook post.

Democratic member of the Florida Senate Lori Berman also condemned the removal, calling it in a post on X “a mean-spirited attempt to demoralize the LGBTQ+ community and an insult to the 49 people who lost their lives there nearly a decade ago.”

“The rainbow crosswalk at Pulse was a tribute, not a political statement,” she said, noting it was “authorized by a Republican administration” and was “specifically designed to enhance pedestrian safety for people paying their respects.”

Brandon Wolf, who survived the massacre, also took to social media to decry the removal of the commemoration site.

“In the dark of night, they came to erase our show of solidarity, our declaration that we will never forget,” Wolf said. “The cowards who feel threatened by our lives should feel lucky they didn’t have to bury the ones they love — then watch the state come & desecrate their memory.”

The mayor said the city will continue to show its solidarity for the LGBTQ community and honor the victims of the tragedy. A memorial honoring the victims is set to be completed by the end of 2027, according to the city.

“While this crosswalk has been removed, our community’s commitment to honoring the 49 can never be erased,” Dyer said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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