I support the amendment allowing six to eight fence pickets to be painted in solidcolors as a small but meaningful way to uphold Key West’s identity as a welcoming community.
In 2003, we stretched a rainbow flag across the island, and those images have helped show the world that Key West is open and inclusive. Visibility matters. Rainbow symbols tell both residents and visitors—especially those in the LGBTQ community—that they are safe and welcome, painting 6-8 pickets is a reasonable response
The LGBTQ community has made lasting contributions here, and this is a way to recognize that.To me, this is about honoring our community and affirming that everyone belongs here.
I urge the HARC board to write in a script to allow rainbow colored pickets in the historic district. As the City Commission has fallen short on creating a replacement for the crosswalks the state removed, this seems like a reasonable compromise for having our culture and identity be erased. The city has not done enough to support the LGBTQ community as the state continues to attack our rights and visibility. This would be a great way to show support of a community that is vital to the vibrancy of this island. As a part of the city government, I hope the HARC board will deviate from other departments by showing you have more love than hate. You can make a difference. Please support 🌈
If the 1st Amendment is used as a justification for a carve out for rainbow fences, HARC should shut its doors now. Freedom of speech and expression, especially in a registered National HIstoric District, is in the eye of the beholder. If painted fences are allowed, any other expression or cause MUST BE honored as well. If others are not honored too, be ready for an avalanche of law suits. So why have HARC in the first place if rules do not matter?
Allowing residents to paint a small portion of their fences with rainbows is a good way for the city to show their support for a community who has made a huge impact on Key West both visually as well as financially by bringing in tourism dollars by people who love the vibrancy and individuality of the Conch Republic. Let's continue that spirit pls.
This movement sparked in response to our Rainbow Crosswalks being taken away. Sorry dissenters, but flying flags ain't gonna cut it. Not the same significance or meaning whatsoever. Not sure why this is so offensive to a handful of haters, but surely we can all work together to come up with a succinct, short term text amendment allowing people to apply for permits for a limited number of pickets for a limited amount of time, perhaps until the Rainbow Archway we were promised gets installed? Thank you for all that you do and for considering this extremely important part of our city's history that clearly also very much needs to be protected.
I support any peaceful and positive personal/artistic expression as long as it does not Permanently alter the architecture/structural integrity of the beautiful and historic homes in Key West. Painting a rainbow, or a sun shining, or Stars and Stripes, or Colorful Tropical fish, are all examples of benign peaceful positive examples. Fences can Very easily be painted back to the original white if a tenant should ever vacate their property.
Historic preservation protects our past. It shouldn’t freeze‑frame our present. A temporary, fully reversible rainbow picket display honors a community that just suffered a loss and wants to express its identity. We don’t live in a museum. We live in a living, breathing city. Allowing short‑term color on six pickets does not jeopardize our CLG status; it simply acknowledges who we are.
One can’t really imagine the history of Key West over the last 80 years—since World War II if not earlier—without acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community. After all, as Guy Ross put it: “The gays saved Key West.” Key West is a wonderful and magical place because of the gay community. It’s part of the island’s very fiber. That magic—the One Human Family ethos, the live-and-let-live spirit, the welcome for misfits and dreamers—starts with the visibility and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s what draws people here. It’s what keeps us here.
So, yes, please. the gay colors ARE part of our history and I urge you to find a way to incorporate this part of our history within the historic district.
I support a narrowly-tailored text amendment allowing a limited number of contiguous fence pickets to be painted in distinct colors, subject to a defined sunset date. By limiting the number, placement, and duration of the color variation, the amendment could respect the integrity of the historic district while providing that residents retain meaningful space for personal expression on their own property. This is not an either/or proposition. We citizens of Key West can have both. Thank you.
The LGBTQIA+ community is part of the history of Key West. We had the first openly gay mayor. Fantasy Fest was created by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Many well known gay people lived in Key West. Key West has been displaying the rainbow flag prominently for decades, well before HARC was part of the city. The display of the rainbow is part of historic Key West. Now, the LGBTQIA+ community is under attack under the guise of "historic preservation." Well this thinly veiled excuse is historically inaccurate. They tried with the flag ordinance. Then they tried by having the rainbow crosswalk erased. Now they're trying through HARC. Rainbow displays are part of our history.
Disagreeing with a gay person, does not make you a homophobe. Let’s stop making the discussion about something that it is NOT. This is about finding a solution that won’t change the streetscape, respects our history, respects our neighbors, and honors everyone’s dignity. If you live outside the historic district, you can already do whatever you want, and that's just fine.
The most salient point for the Council’s consideration is that rainbow colors have been part of Key West’s historic palette for over a decade. The current fence movement arose after the state removed the rainbow crosswalks at Duval and Petronia, which existed unchallenged since 2015 and were part of Old Town’s daily civic landscape. The City acknowledged their loss by installing rainbow-colored bike racks along Duval Street to replace what was removed, recognizing the importance of these historic colors to the Old Town landscape. We ask the same for residents of Old Town: the ability to preserve this portion of our city’s evolving history.
The City of Key West was added to Florida’s Certified Local Government (CLG) Program in 1991. The CLG Program was enacted as part of the National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980. Designation as a certified local government makes historic preservation a public policy through passage of a historic preservation ordinance.
“It took decades of dedication to earn our place on the National Register, and even longer to preserve it. Please fly your pride flags proudly—just avoid painting fences or structures in ways that could jeopardize our city’s historic status. Let’s celebrate who we are while protecting the heritage we’ve all worked so hard to maintain.”
I am in full support of the text amendments for the picket fences.
I support the amendment allowing six to eight fence pickets to be painted in solidcolors as a small but meaningful way to uphold Key West’s identity as a welcoming community.
In 2003, we stretched a rainbow flag across the island, and those images have helped show the world that Key West is open and inclusive. Visibility matters. Rainbow symbols tell both residents and visitors—especially those in the LGBTQ community—that they are safe and welcome, painting 6-8 pickets is a reasonable response
The LGBTQ community has made lasting contributions here, and this is a way to recognize that.To me, this is about honoring our community and affirming that everyone belongs here.
I urge the HARC board to write in a script to allow rainbow colored pickets in the historic district. As the City Commission has fallen short on creating a replacement for the crosswalks the state removed, this seems like a reasonable compromise for having our culture and identity be erased. The city has not done enough to support the LGBTQ community as the state continues to attack our rights and visibility. This would be a great way to show support of a community that is vital to the vibrancy of this island. As a part of the city government, I hope the HARC board will deviate from other departments by showing you have more love than hate. You can make a difference. Please support 🌈
If the 1st Amendment is used as a justification for a carve out for rainbow fences, HARC should shut its doors now. Freedom of speech and expression, especially in a registered National HIstoric District, is in the eye of the beholder. If painted fences are allowed, any other expression or cause MUST BE honored as well. If others are not honored too, be ready for an avalanche of law suits. So why have HARC in the first place if rules do not matter?
Allowing residents to paint a small portion of their fences with rainbows is a good way for the city to show their support for a community who has made a huge impact on Key West both visually as well as financially by bringing in tourism dollars by people who love the vibrancy and individuality of the Conch Republic. Let's continue that spirit pls.
This movement sparked in response to our Rainbow Crosswalks being taken away. Sorry dissenters, but flying flags ain't gonna cut it. Not the same significance or meaning whatsoever. Not sure why this is so offensive to a handful of haters, but surely we can all work together to come up with a succinct, short term text amendment allowing people to apply for permits for a limited number of pickets for a limited amount of time, perhaps until the Rainbow Archway we were promised gets installed? Thank you for all that you do and for considering this extremely important part of our city's history that clearly also very much needs to be protected.
I support any peaceful and positive personal/artistic expression as long as it does not Permanently alter the architecture/structural integrity of the beautiful and historic homes in Key West. Painting a rainbow, or a sun shining, or Stars and Stripes, or Colorful Tropical fish, are all examples of benign peaceful positive examples. Fences can Very easily be painted back to the original white if a tenant should ever vacate their property.
Historic preservation protects our past. It shouldn’t freeze‑frame our present. A temporary, fully reversible rainbow picket display honors a community that just suffered a loss and wants to express its identity. We don’t live in a museum. We live in a living, breathing city. Allowing short‑term color on six pickets does not jeopardize our CLG status; it simply acknowledges who we are.
One can’t really imagine the history of Key West over the last 80 years—since World War II if not earlier—without acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community. After all, as Guy Ross put it: “The gays saved Key West.” Key West is a wonderful and magical place because of the gay community. It’s part of the island’s very fiber. That magic—the One Human Family ethos, the live-and-let-live spirit, the welcome for misfits and dreamers—starts with the visibility and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s what draws people here. It’s what keeps us here.
So, yes, please. the gay colors ARE part of our history and I urge you to find a way to incorporate this part of our history within the historic district.
I support a narrowly-tailored text amendment allowing a limited number of contiguous fence pickets to be painted in distinct colors, subject to a defined sunset date. By limiting the number, placement, and duration of the color variation, the amendment could respect the integrity of the historic district while providing that residents retain meaningful space for personal expression on their own property. This is not an either/or proposition. We citizens of Key West can have both. Thank you.
The LGBTQIA+ community is part of the history of Key West. We had the first openly gay mayor. Fantasy Fest was created by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Many well known gay people lived in Key West. Key West has been displaying the rainbow flag prominently for decades, well before HARC was part of the city. The display of the rainbow is part of historic Key West. Now, the LGBTQIA+ community is under attack under the guise of "historic preservation." Well this thinly veiled excuse is historically inaccurate. They tried with the flag ordinance. Then they tried by having the rainbow crosswalk erased. Now they're trying through HARC. Rainbow displays are part of our history.
Disagreeing with a gay person, does not make you a homophobe. Let’s stop making the discussion about something that it is NOT. This is about finding a solution that won’t change the streetscape, respects our history, respects our neighbors, and honors everyone’s dignity. If you live outside the historic district, you can already do whatever you want, and that's just fine.
The most salient point for the Council’s consideration is that rainbow colors have been part of Key West’s historic palette for over a decade. The current fence movement arose after the state removed the rainbow crosswalks at Duval and Petronia, which existed unchallenged since 2015 and were part of Old Town’s daily civic landscape. The City acknowledged their loss by installing rainbow-colored bike racks along Duval Street to replace what was removed, recognizing the importance of these historic colors to the Old Town landscape. We ask the same for residents of Old Town: the ability to preserve this portion of our city’s evolving history.
Thank you for your consideration.
The City of Key West was added to Florida’s Certified Local Government (CLG) Program in 1991. The CLG Program was enacted as part of the National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980. Designation as a certified local government makes historic preservation a public policy through passage of a historic preservation ordinance.
“It took decades of dedication to earn our place on the National Register, and even longer to preserve it. Please fly your pride flags proudly—just avoid painting fences or structures in ways that could jeopardize our city’s historic status. Let’s celebrate who we are while protecting the heritage we’ve all worked so hard to maintain.”
Can we please stop allowing disgruntled homophobic morons from allowing locals to express their 1A rights on their got_damn fences?
Mind your own business, ammirite?