The City of St. Petersburg is letting FDOT remove its rainbow street mural

St. Petersburg, Florida’s Progressive Pride Mural at the corner of Central Avenue N and 25th Street S Credit: Photo via Visit St. Pete-Clearwater The Florida Department of Transportation will remove St. Petersburg’s street murals, including its rainbow crosswalk and “Black History Matters” paintings, city officials announced Friday.

The move comes a day after the state removed a rainbow crosswalk in Orlando honoring lives lost at the former Pulse Nightclub spot.

In a letter to residents, Mayor Ken Welch said Friday that FDOT denied the city’s request for exemption from its recent mandate banning street murals in conjunction with the Trump administration.

“After consultation with the City Attorney’s office, and considering the implications of keeping the street art murals in question, we have determined that identified street art murals must be removed under FDOT’s order,” Welch wrote. “City personnel will not remove this artwork, rather FDOT has indicated that it will exercise its authority to do so in accordance with state law.”

Welch insisted that St. Pete is still committed to celebrating its community in a “lawful” way.

“While these specific art murals will be removed, the spirit of what makes St. Pete a special place can’t be suppressed by legislative fiat, and we will find meaningful ways to express our shared values,” Welch wrote.

Black History Matters street mural outside the Woodson African American Museum of Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida. Credit: Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr

St. Pete City Council heard from protesters last week, urging council members to protect the city’s street art from FDOT—despite the department’s threats to revoke transportation funding. A Council committee was supposed to discuss the issue on Sept. 11.

Nadine Smith, president of St. Pete-based statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that those upset by the announcement should focus on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “extortion” and “blackmail” of municipalities like St. Pete.

“The governor is continuing his censorship and his government intrusion campaign to erase anything he disagrees with. He’s using taxpayer dollars and the threat of withholding funds that people impacted by hurricanes are going to need,” Smith said.

“Every city should fight back, not roll over and capitulate. Once those possibilities are exhausted, ensure that whatever is taken is replaced with something equal to or more than what was taken.”

St. Pete Pride president Byron Green-Calisch told WUSF that community businesses are ready to combat FDOT’s move with “a fleet” of rainbow signs and storefronts.

One of those is LGBTQ+ bar Cocktail, which posted Thursday in solidarity with Orlando, saying it will have new rainbow graphics across its building front.

“We will not stand by and be erased,” Cocktail’s post reads. “We are proud and will not fight quietly.

Yesterday, Welch told CL that St. Petersburg should be prepared for the city’s rainbow crosswalks to be erased, adding that the city will still work towards the values of inclusion, creativity and resilience.

“Together with our community, we will continue to find meaningful ways to honor these principles—in every space and through every medium available to us,” Welch added.

Days before, locals filled city hall to urge city council members to save St. Pete’s street murals.

“One erasure leads to the next and the next and the next and when we don’t stand up to tyranny, what happens is the most vulnerable pay the price first,” John Gascot, who helped paint the “Black History Matters” mural outside the Woodson African American Museum, said. “But make no mistake, it’s going to affect me and you eventually.”

Terri Lipsey Scott, Director of St. Pete’s Woodson African American Museum struck a more defiant tone in her comment, telling council that FDOT can paint the streets but that it won’t be able to erase the faces she sees every day. “They can edit the history books, but we will keep telling the truth,” she added.

The controversy over Florida’s rainbow crosswalks ignited shortly after St. Petersburg’s big Pride parade weekend, when the Progressive Pride Mural at the corner of Central Avenue N and 25th Street S gets a touch up.

And, yes, there is plenty of work to do.

Data proves that crosswalk murals—not unlike those previously approved by FDOT—actually make streets safer.

That didn’t stop Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy from going on X and writing, “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”

Last month, officials in Tampa told CL they know of 47 places with painted streets “including multiple crosswalks students help paint for pedestrian safety purposes.”

One of the street murals—the infamous ‘Bock the Blub’ outside Tampa Police headquarters—was actually painted illegally. The mural, located in front of at 411 N Franklin St., was created on Aug. 1, 2020, at the height of the George Floyd civil rights protests.

Retired Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan was still leading the force at the time, but retired a year later. Less than a year after hanging up the badge, Dugan told CL that while the folks painting it might’ve had good intentions, it ended up looking like “a first grader’s art project.”

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This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2025.

The City of St. Petersburg is letting FDOT remove its rainbow street mural

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