TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A new mural will soon be coming to Tallahassee\u2019s southside, thanks to a public-private partnership between the Community Redevelopment Agency, artists and a private business.<\/p>\n
The Community Redevelopment Agency, known as the CRA, approved spending $30,000 on the project, which is to be drawn at SoMo Walls. The CRA is legally separate from the City of Tallahassee, though the Tallahassee City Commissioners oversee both.<\/p>\n
According to CRA staff, the public would pay $30,00 for the murals, with a private match from SoMo Walls, totaling $60,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe non-profit Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI), in partnership with Bugra Demirel, owner of SoMo Walls and highly professional mural artists, requests $30,000 from the Tallahassee Southside CRA to implement a large-scale public art project that will transform into a prominent public outdoor mural corridor accessible 24-7,\u201d CRA staff wrote in summarizing the item<\/a>.<\/p>\n For KCCI, it\u2019s part of a wider push to brighten up the city with art. Especially south of downtown.<\/p>\n \u201cCities with strong placemaking have low crime rates. They have higher voter turnout and they have a more thriving ecosystem,\u201d said Betsy Couch, the executive director of KCCI. \u201cPlacemaking is bringing forward the best version of an area.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a PowerPoint provided by KCCI to the CRA, the SoMo Walls project is a good investment because it\u2019s a strategically located site next to already established public spaces. The presentation notes the project wouldn\u2019t need any major construction or cause disruption to the area.<\/p>\n The city commissioners, acting as the CRA board, voted 3-2 to approve the project. For government watchdogs, some alarms did go up.<\/p>\n Former Mayor Dot Inman-Johnson, now the CEO for Citizens for Government Accountability, filed an ethics complaint. According to a copy of that complaint, Bugra Demirel, the owner of SoMo Walls, sits on a subcommittee to the CRA.<\/p>\n Even though he did recuse himself from the subcommittee vote, Inman-Johnson argues the ethics code requires him to not participate at all.<\/p>\n \u201cBugra Demirel is a member of the Frenchtown\/Southside CRA CAC and committed a clear conflict of interest for lobbying the CAC to approve the request for which he is the beneficiary,\u201d part of the complaint reads.<\/p>\n More Tallahassee news: <\/p>\n Inman-Johnson addressed the CRA during public comment last month. The complaint is signed under oath by Inman-Johnson, and lists K. Lennorris Barber and Dr. Vanessa Williams as those with knowledge of the alleged violation or who may have been witnesses to it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have one of the CAC members requesting in partnership with the arts group a grant of $30,000 to do artwork at their site after they\u2019ve already received $1.1 million… something is wrong here,\u201d said Inman Johnson.<\/p>\n Blueprint, a joint city-county board, voted in 2023 to give Demirel and SoMo Walls $1.8 million<\/a>. Of that money, $1 million was a \u201crecoverable grant.\u201d<\/p>\n That money is not the subject of the ethics complaint, though Inman-Johnson said it contextualizes her complaint over the $30,000 for the mural.<\/p>\n Couch, from KCCI, said there was no funny business. She said this normally how public-private partnerships come together. <\/p>\n \u201cIs there any nefariousness? Is there any side dealings, any bad juju going on here?\u201d WCTV\u2019s Matt Hoffmann asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, this process has played out just like most public private partnerships play out,\u201d Couch said.<\/p>\n Demirel declined an on-camera interview, but sent us the following statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited to collaborate with KCCI on this project,\u201d Demirel said. \u201cSoMo Walls has a strong track record of quality execution, and we\u2019re confident this KCCI initiative will be a meaningful addition to our local community while helping drive tourism dollars into Tallahassee.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement goes on to say the CRA members, the city commissioners, will be invited to a ribbon cutting at a later date. The ethics complaint is an allegation. Tallahassee has an Independent Ethics Board which adjudicates ethics issues. Their jurisdiction was expanded by voters<\/a> in 2024 to cover not just the city commission but other related boards.<\/p>\n Both Inman-Johnson and Demirel have been heavily involved in city politics. Inman-Johnson was the mayor in the 1990s, but unsuccessfully ran<\/a> for city commission in 2024 against Commissioner Curtis Richardson. <\/p>\n Demirel is the chair<\/a> of the Grow Tallahassee, a political committee, and has advocated<\/a> for the city to transfer Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare to create FSU Health. <\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n