The city had 14 days to request an administrative hearing. However, FDOT<\/a> wrote that it would no longer consider any exceptions or waivers and repeated its threat to withhold state funding.<\/p>\n \u201cAs mayor of our city, I will not risk these essential investments in a fight that I don\u2019t believe we can win,\u201d Welch said. \u201cThat would be irresponsible leadership and detrimental to our city in the long run. Our response will be strategic, not reactionary.\u201d<\/p>\n Although it \u201cmay not be as emotionally satisfying as a street brawl,\u201d Welch said the city will \u201cbuild back stronger\u201d and create new \u201cpowerful expressions of who we are \u2013 expressions that cannot be erased by the state.\u201d<\/p>\n FDOT gave the city until Sept. 4 to remove the artwork. Those include the Black History Matters mural at 9th Avenue and 22nd Lane South; the Common Ground (colored prism) mural at Central Avenue and 5th Street North; the Fluid Structures mural at 6th Avenue and 2nd Street South (University of South Florida); and the Crossway Crux mural at 11th Avenue and 46th Street South (Childs Park).<\/p>\n \u201cThese works were born from collaboration and a shared belief that art can transform spaces and spark dialogue,\u201d Welch said. \u201cThey represent us. They will continue to represent us in new and resilient forms.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the Common Ground intersection mural, St. Petersburg\u2019s first, reduced traffic accidents by 70% and became a \u201cmodel for art-driven safety.\u201d The city provided that data<\/a> to FDOT and emphasized that the installations are \u201cmore than paint on pavement.\u201d<\/p>\n The saga began<\/a> with a June 30 internal FDOT memo that cited safety concerns and potential interference with automated vehicles. Assistant Secretary Will Watts wrote that social, political and ideological messaging are examples of non-compliant street art.<\/p>\n Watts noted that the department may grant exemptions if local governments \u201cdemonstrate good cause for doing so.\u201d However, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said taxpayers \u201cexpect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,\u201d in a subsequent social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Welch said Monday that FDOT, with support from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the USDOT, could jeopardize \u201cmillions of dollars in state transportation funding and potentially tens of millions more in broader state funding.\u201d After consulting with city attorneys, his administration \u201cdid not see a pathway\u201d to keeping the installations through litigation.<\/p>\n The onus to erase the pavement art is now on FDOT, which has not provided a removal date. \u201cIt\u2019s not our decision \u2013 we disagree with it,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, FDOT should be the ones to remove it.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cBlack History Matters\u201d mural, adjacent to the Woodson African American Museum of Florida. Photo: City of St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n The state painted over a rainbow crosswalk in Orlando last week that honored the 49 people killed at Pulse nightclub in 2016. Residents then began redecorating the area with chalk.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Black-History-Mural-1024x683.jpg\")
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