>> IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES RAINBOW LIGHTS HONORING THE LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY WILL ONCE AGAIN LIGHT
UP THE ACOSTA BRIDGE. AFTER
MANY RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE LIGHTS
LAST NIGHT.
>>TOM WILLS: E-MAIL SHOW THE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION ASKED JTA TO
TURN OFF THE LIGHTS CELEBRATING
PRIDE MONTH IN
RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS THE
DEPARTMENT RECEIVED.
>>MARY BAER: NEWS 4 JAX
REPORTER JIM PIGGOTT AND I TEAM
INVESTIGATOR KELLY WILEY ARE
CONTINUING OUR COVERAGE AT 6
O’CLOCK WE BEGIN WITH KELLY HAS
BEEN FOLLOWING THE PAPER TRAIL.
KELLY.
♪
>>JOY PURDY: THE COST OF BRIDGE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LIT UP IN RAINBOW COLORS ALL THIS WEEK TO
HONOR PRIDE BUT WE FOUNDED
EMAIL RECORDS THAT A FLORIDA
DOT EMPLOYEE CALLED
♪
AND EMAILED GTA TRYING TO GET
THEM TO TURN IT OFF.
WITHIN 12 HOURS OF
JACKSONVILLE’S ACOSTA BRIDGE
BEING LIT UP TO CELEBRATE PRIDE
MONTH STATE OFFICIALS WERE
CALLING FOR IT TO BE TURNED OFF
THE BRIDGE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
REFLECTING RAINBOWS INTO THE
RIVER FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK
PUBLIC RECORDS SHOW A FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
OFFICIAL IN ITS JACKSONVILLE
URBAN OFFICE CALLED AND EMAILED
JTA OFFICIALS SAYING THEY
RECEIVED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS
REGARDING THE COLOR SCHEME ON
COST A BRIDGE INTO IT HERE TO
THE PERMITTED COLOR SCHEME THE
PERMIT ALLOWS A COLOR SCHEME
LIMITED TO HOLIDAYS LIKE
CHRISTMAS AND HALLOWEEN OR TEAL
FOR THE JAGUARS IN PINK FOR
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS THE
PICTURES OF THE ACOSTA BRIDGE
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SHOW THIS
IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE
JACKSONVILLE TRANSPORTATION
AUTHORITY HAS DEVIATED FROM THE
PERMIT LIKE THESE COLORS FOR
FORMER CLEMSON FOOTBALL PLAYER
TREVOR LAWRENCE COMING TO JACKSONVILLE OR THIS COLOR SCHEME RECOGNIZING WOMEN’S
HISTORY MONTH AND THIS ONE
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY
MONTH, BUT THE PRIDE MONTH
COLOR SCHEME IS THE FIRST TIME
THE JTA HAS BEEN TOLD IT’S OUT
OF COMPLIANCE.
THIS IS NOT THE ONLY INSTANCE
OF THIS HAPPENING. THE HERALD
TRIBUNE REPORTED THE FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION REJECTED A
REQUEST FROM SARASOTA TO LIGHT
THE RINGLING BRIDGE FOR PRIDE
MONTH IN 2020 FLORIDA DOT MADE
A NEW POLICY NARROWING THE
COLOR SCHEMES THAT WERE
PERMITTED MICHAEL WILL MATCH
WITH A QUALITY FLORIDA SAYS
THIS IS THE LATEST INSTANCE OF
THE STATE TO TARGETING THE
LGBTQ COMMUNITY. THE GOVERNOR
HAS DECLARED WAR ON FLORIDA’S
LGBT COMMUNITY AND IT’S NOT
JUST RELATED TO LIGHTS. IT’S
RELATED TO HIM SIGNING THE
FIRST ANTI LGBT BILL IN 24
YEARS IN THE STATE IT’S ABOUT
HIM
VETOING MONEY.
>>JOY PURDY: FOR PULL ON THE
5 YEAR REMEMBRANCE OF THE EVENT
ITSELF AND YOU KNOW WE’RE NOT
STANDING FOR IT.
>> AND THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE IS SAYING THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS DECISION THEY SAID IN
A STATEMENT IT WOULD BE ABSURD
TO THINK
OTHERWISE WE WANT YOU TO KNOW
THAT WE PUT IN PUBLIC RECORDS
REQUEST TO FIGURE OUT
WHO WAS SITTING IN THE
COMPLAINTS TO FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
AND TO FIGURE
OUT ULTIMATELY WHO MADE THE
FINAL CALL TO GET IN TOUCH WITH
JT AND ASKED THEM TO TURN IT
OFF AFTER THEY GOT THESE
COMPLAINTS, REPORTING LIVE IN
JACKSONVILLE KELLY WILEY
CHANNEL 4 THE LOCAL STATION.
>>TOM WILLS: NEWS 4 JAX
REPORTER JIM PIGGOTT HAS BEEN
FOLLOWING THIS STORY SINCE
LAST NIGHT. HE’S TALKED WITH
MANY BEHIND THE SCENES WHO
FOUGHT TODAY TO GET THE LIGHTS
BACK ON. HE’S JOINING US LIVE
FROM RIGHT NEAR THE BRIDGE JIM.
>> YOU KNOW TIME WE HEARD FROM KELLI THAT DOT SAYING THIS IS A COMPLIANCE ISSUE, BUT MANY ARE
STILL SAYING THIS IS ALL A
POLITICAL ISSUE BECAUSE THEY
SAID THERE WAS NEVER A PROBLEM
BEFORE WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE PUT
ON FOR OTHER EVENTS.
>> WHEN THE RAINBOW LIGHTS
ACROSS THE ACOSTA BRIDGE WERE
BLAZING, IT WAS A MATTER OF
PRIDE
FOR MANY WHEN THEY TURN BLUE
LAST NIGHT IT SENT A SIGNAL TO
OTHERS LIKE JIMMY MIDYETTE AN
LGBTQ PLUS ACTIVISTS HERE WE
GO AGAIN.
>> THAT THERE WAS SOME KIND OF
HOMOPHOBIC DECISION THAT
RESULTED IN THOSE LIGHTS
GOING OUT THE FACT THAT THEY’RE
COMING BACK ON TODAY. WHAT DO
YOU THINK
I THINK IT SAYS THAT OUR
COMMUNITY THE
LGBTQ COMMUNITY HAS ORGANIZED
AND AGITATED FOR 24 HOURS AND
CALLED IN EVERY FAVOR
WE KNOW, AND MAYOR MADE A BIG
NOISE AND I’M REALLY HAPPY THAT
IT THAT IT’S WORKED SO I’VE
BEEN REACHING OUT TO MAYOR
CURRY’S OFFICE TO SEE IF THEY
HAVE ANY STATEMENT REGARDING
ALL OF THIS WHILE THE MAYOR IS
NOT TALKING ON CAMERA ABOUT
THIS ISSUE.
>> IN FACT THEY’RE KEEPING A
HANDS OFF APPROACH AND SAYING
THIS INVOLVES THE STATE
AND JTA.
>> THIS ALSO HAS SOME STATE
LEADERS CALLING INTO QUESTION
HOW ALL OF THIS CAME ABOUT I
WAS TAKEN ABACK.
>> BY THAT
HAPPENING.
>> STATE SENATOR AUDREY GIBSON
SAYS SHE WAS ON THE PHONE EARLY
THIS MORNING, QUESTIONING THE
HEAD OF FLORIDA’S DOT
KEVIN THIBAULT ABOUT WHY THEY
ORDERED THE LIGHTS TURNED OFF
KEVIN COME ON.
>> THEY’VE BEEN DOING
IT AND IT’S NOT PERMITTED
AND TECHNICALLY, AND THEY SAY
GO TO A RESOLUTION PROCESS TO
SHOW CITY ENSURE IS I SAID.
>> SO.
>> IS THAT JUST THIS TIME
BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE
SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT. NO IT’S
ALL THE TIME,
OKAY.
>> BUT THAT DECISION STILL HAS
MANY QUESTIONING WHY THE PRIDE
CELEBRATION WAS TURNED OFF AND
OTHER SIMILAR DISPLAYS WERE
NEVER QUESTION.
SO AS
WE HEARD IT CAME FROM THE LOCAL
OFFICE, SOME COMPLAINTS WERE
PHONED IN AT
THAT TIME AND THERE’S REALLY NO
RECORD AT LEAST WHAT I’M
HEARING
FROM DOT. THERE ARE NO RECORDS
OF WHO MADE THOSE PHONE CALLS
AND THOSE ORIGINAL COMPLAINT
LIVE AT THE BASE OF COST A
BRIDGE JIM PIGGOTT CHANNEL 4
THE
LOCAL STATION.
>>MARY BAER: THANK YOU JIM A
NEWSFOURJAX INSIDERS ARE
COMMENTING ON THIS STORY USER
CARMEN SAYS YES, THANKS
JACKSONVILLE FOR DOING THE
RIGHT THING AND DAVID WRITES
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD REALLY
NOT SUPPORT ANY SOCIAL AGENDA
THAT SHOULD BE DONE BY
PRIVATE GROUPS. YOU CAN BY
SIGNING UP AND SIGNING IN JUST
GO TO NEWS 4 JAX DOT COM SLASH
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AND THEN COMMENT AT THE BOTTOM
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YOU TO TAKE PART IN OUR USAY
POLL WE’RE ASKING DO YOU AGREE
WITH THE DECISION TO TURN THE
RAINBOW LIGHTS BACK ON AND
RIGHT NOW THE MAJORITY OF YOU
ARE
SAYING NO. YOU CAN VOTE BY
GOING TO NEWS 4 JAX DOT COM
SLASH YOU SAY OR ON THE NEWS 4
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