PLANT CITY, Fla. — Changes are being made in Plant City to help allow for murals in its historic downtown. City commissioners recently approved an ordinance change that eases some restrictions on where murals can be painted.

What You Need To Know

Plant City Commissioners approved an ordinance change that would allow for murals in downtown

The ordinance allows murals on the sides and the rear of many buildings

One resident says this change will help allow for more creativity in downtown Plant City

Art boxes are spread throughout historic downtown Plant City. Now, the pop of color will continue in the form of murals.

“You can always find inspiration in every corner,” Vicky Smude said. She’s the co-owner of Metals and Nature.

Walking through Metals and Nature, Smude says it’s like a magical realm.

“We’ve got the Zen area, we’ve got the nocturnal area, we’ve got gargoyles,” she said.

It’s a place that she says her customers’ imaginations and creativity can run wild. That’s what she’s hoping will translate into the heart of downtown.

City commissioners recently approved an ordinance change that would allow murals on the sides and the rear of many buildings. 

Smude says it’s an important change.

“Our downtown is the heart of our community, and when you have a prosperous downtown, you have a prosperous city,” she said.

Smude has been part of a group of residents pushing to add more character and creativity to downtown. Over the past few years, she’s been instrumental in the trash canvas project and the electric box art project.

Vice Mayor Jason Jones says the change will help preserve the history of the community.

“It’s going to bring some color to downtown Plant City — more charm, it’s also going to support the local artists, we have a lot of local artists in the community, and now they can come out and put their hand into downtown Plant City,” Jones said.

For Smude, it’ll mean more to enjoy on her everyday walks through the city.

And she hopes it’ll strengthen the community too.

“I hope that all the different cultures that we have in our community are represented, whether it’s the artist or the subject,” she said.

So that more people can feel inspired to create.

So far, one mural has been painted since the ordinance change went into effect earlier this year.