Drag performer Eric Swanson, known as Ms. Bouvèé, has raised more than $26,000 by selling bricks from rainbow crosswalks that state road crews removed in Miami Beach. The Miami New Times reported the story on Thursday, Oct. 23.
The state Department of Transportation banned painted crosswalks and other on-street murals in August 2025, saying they were dangerously distracting. Swanson said the removal happened overnight. He later bid on bricks from South Beach’s Ocean Drive that were up for public auction, and he won.
Swanson washed and repainted the bricks and added a plaque noting where each one had been. He said he sold all 50 within four days of launching the campaign. Buyers came from across the country and abroad, according to the report.
The Miami Beach bricks fundraiser brought in $26,500 for the Pride celebrations in Key West and Naples, Swanson said. He said the money will pay for a live entertainment stage and security at those events, both of which have faced shrinking funding and safety concerns. He hopes other performers will start similar projects.
