{"id":66,"date":"2026-05-10T22:05:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T22:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=66"},"modified":"2026-05-10T22:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T22:05:03","slug":"key-west-couple-sues-city-over-rainbow-painted-picket-fence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=66","title":{"rendered":"Key West couple sues city over rainbow-painted picket fence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>A Key West couple is suing the city, claiming their First Amendment rights were violated after they painted their picket fence in the colors of the LGBTQ+ flag in response to the removal of rainbow crosswalks.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=64\">Woman on board boat smelled gas before possible explosion at Haulover Beach, daughter says<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Coley Sohn and her wife, Linda Bagely-Sohn, who live in the city\u2019s historic Old Town district, say they painted the fence last September as a peaceful protest after state orders led to rainbow crosswalks being painted over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was so upsetting for so many of us, and I woke up one morning and was like I\u2019m going to paint some pickets on our front gate,\u201d Sohn said.<\/p>\n<p>The couple\u2019s colorful display quickly gained attention online and in the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe posted on Facebook as a joke, like anyone else want the rainbow fairy to come visit?\u201d Sohn said. \u201cAnd we were inundated, and my wife and I ran around that weekend painting a bunch of fences and gates, and it just took off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sohn described the project as a statement of visibility and pride.<\/p>\n<p>However, in December, the city\u2019s Historic Architectural Review Commission notified the couple that the fence violated local regulations following complaints.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=62\">115 sick with norovirus on Princess cruise ship that left Fort Lauderdale, CDC says<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The couple says they tried to comply by going through the permitting and approval process in hopes of keeping the fence as is, but were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>According to the lawsuit, the couple was notified in March that they could face fines of $250 per day if the fence is not repainted to an approved color.<\/p>\n<p>Their attorney, Nick Warren of the ACLU of Florida, argues the city\u2019s actions amount to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you walk around Old Town Key West, you\u2019ll see lots of colorful displays and different colored paints on fences and houses,\u201d Warren said. \u201cMany of them violate the same rules that the city is citing \u2014 but if the city is only enforcing the law against some people because of the message they\u2019re expressing, that\u2019s viewpoint discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sohn said the couple believes they have the right to express themselves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have the right, as anyone else does, to protest what they want to protest,\u201d she said. \u201cIf the powers that be don\u2019t agree with what we\u2019re protesting, it doesn\u2019t mean they can silence us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=60\">ChatGPT helps South Florida woman realize she\u2019s having a stroke<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The couple\u2019s attorney said the city has three weeks to respond to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>City officials declined to comment, citing pending litigation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Key West couple is suing the city, claiming their First Amendment rights were violated after they painted their picket fence in the colors of the LGBTQ+ flag\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-key-west"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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