It’s not yet clear who painted over the murals this time.
Two St. Petersburg street murals that had begun showing through the black paint used to cover them last year have now been covered again.
Fresh black paint now covers the Progressive Pride mural at Central Avenue and 25th Street and the Common Ground mural at Central Avenue and 5th Street, The St. Pete Catalyst reported Tuesday
Who applied the new coating remains unclear.
The Florida Department of Transportation did not confirm to the Catalyst whether its crews performed the work or when it was done. “Numerous” St. Petersburg officials said they were unaware the murals had been covered again and that the city was not responsible, The Catalyst reported.
The new layer comes weeks after the previous coating began wearing away. Portions of the Progressive Pride mural’s rainbow colors had become visible again, with similar deterioration appearing at Common Ground.
FDOT originally ordered five St. Petersburg street installations removed in 2025 after rejecting the city’s request for exemptions from new state standards governing pavement markings. The state warned the city that continued noncompliance could put transportation funding at risk, and Mayor Ken Welch’s administration ultimately declined to press the issue further, leaving FDOT to carry out the work.
Welch’s administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Florida Politics will update this post if they respond. As of 5 p.m., Welch’s social media channels did not include reference to the re-painting.
The Progressive Pride mural, installed in 2020, sat near the birthplace of St. Petersburg’s Pride celebration in the Grand Central District. Common Ground, a multicolored geometric design by artist Cecilia Lueza, had occupied the downtown intersection since the 2016 SHINE Mural Festival.
State officials said in 2025 the crackdown was aimed at keeping roadways uniform and free of markings that could distract or confuse drivers and pedestrians. St. Petersburg disputed the safety rationale, pointing to an analysis showing crashes at the Common Ground intersection fell 70% after the artwork was installed.
The fresh coating again leaves both murals hidden beneath black paint, nearly a year after FDOT first covered them and only weeks after the Progressive Pride mural’s rainbow colors began peeking back through the black.
