ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The city of St. Petersburg unveiled a 175 foot long walkable mosaic aimed at drawing visitors to Sunset Park on Wednesday, which depicts the sunrise over Tampa Bay in the east and ends with a sunset on the Gulf beaches in the west.

What You Need To Know

The Sunshine City Mosaic was unveiled on Wednesday in Sunset Park in St. Petersburg 

The artwork is made up of 15,000 pieces of porcelain tile and glass, which creates nine vignettes of Florida’s wildlife

It took three local and emerging artists two and a half years to complete the project  

The 175 foot long walkable mosaic aimed at drawing visitors to Sunset Park

“The goal when we originally started was to make kind of an iconic piece for the city,” said artist Alex Kaufman. “Something that everyone would take pride in.”

Kaufman, along with artists Laura “Miss Crit” Spencer and George Retkes, were commissioned by the city in 2023 to create the Sunshine City Mosaic for $50,000. The artwork is made up of 15,000 pieces of porcelain tile and glass, which creates nine vignettes of Florida’s wildlife.

“The Sunshine City Mosaic is not just a public art installation, it’s a celebration of our community’s spirit and natural beauty,” said Mayor Kenneth Welch. “It’s exciting to see such an ambitious project come to life, connecting our vibrant artistic culture with the stunning landscapes of our parks on the west side.”  

Spencer called the two-and-a-half-year project, which endured some public delays, a “remembrance piece” and was still processing its completion.

“When you’ve worked on a project for as long as this one, it becomes like a sibling or a family member,” she said. “I’m still going to be sneaking out here once a week to sweep her off and make sure she’s doing okay.”

The artists were hoping it was going to be longest mosaic in Florida, but the Science Center has a mosaic that is 275 feet long which the city believes holds the record. Retkes said before the unveiling that the Sunshine City Mosaic had been getting a lot of buzz in the Old Pasadena neighborhood.

“They’ve already expressed some gratitude for seeing a new piece and getting to walk through the park to enjoy it,” he said. “(It) should hopefully attract some more people over to the side of town.”

Kaufman said the city got a great deal on the project, and he was grateful they were chosen through a program for emerging artists.

“They took a chance on us, and we gave them something really special in return. So it’s beneficial to both parties,” he said. “This is an amazing deal for the city, but it’s also our hometown. So, it’s also our business card too.”

The Sunshine City Mosaic joins the more than 90 pieces that make up St. Pete’s public art collection.