The Pride and “Black History Matters” murals that were painted over last year in St. Petersburg are starting to show again.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nearly a year after the state ordered dozens of murals to be painted over across the Tampa Bay region, some of the artwork is beginning to show through again.
In St. Petersburg, remnants of the former Pride mural at 25th Street and Central Avenue are becoming visible beneath the black paint used to cover it.
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The mural was installed in 2020 and became a gathering place for the LGBTQ+ community. But last year, the Florida Department of Transportation ordered the city to remove it as part of a statewide crackdown on street art painted on public roadways.
The state argued the murals could distract drivers, create confusion and pose a safety risk. FDOT ultimately covered five murals in St. Petersburg and 47 in Tampa.
The city had sought exemptions for several of the murals, including the Pride mural, but the state rejected those requests.
Now, the cover-up itself is beginning to wear away.
Dr. Byron Green-Calisch, president of St. Pete Pride, said he drives past the former mural regularly — and has recently started taking the longer route home on purpose
“The more traffic, the more it comes up,” he said. “I feel like I’m doing my civic duty.”
He said seeing the mural re-emerge has taken on a symbolic meaning for the community.
“The shoddy job of the cover-up was not going to last,” Green-Calisch said. “It was a moment to really celebrate the symbolicness of the resilience of all of our communities.”
The Pride mural isn’t the only piece of artwork beginning to show through.
Remnants of the former “Black History Matters” mural outside the Woodson African American History Museum on 9th Avenue South are also becoming visible beneath the paint.
St. Pete resident Robert McLemore said the mural represented an important part of the community’s history.
“That’s my ancestors. That’s what they went through,” McLemore said.
McLemore said he believes removing the artwork did not erase the history it represented.
“They want to try to erase it all, but you can’t do it. That’s history,” he said.
Since the murals were removed, St. Petersburg has looked for other ways to acknowledge the artwork and the communities they represented.
The city installed 11 Pride-inspired bike racks in the Grand Central District. Officials have also discussed putting mural art on city-owned buildings and creating city flags honoring Pride and Black history.
For now, the city says it does not have plans to paint over the murals again. 10 Tampa Bay also reached out to FDOT for comment but did not receive a response.