{"id":293620,"date":"2026-06-02T21:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/293620\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T21:52:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:52:11","slug":"st-petersburg-wraps-city-hall-steps-in-pride-colors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/293620\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg wraps City Hall steps in pride colors"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Petersburg decorated the front steps of City Hall in the colors of the pride flag, turning the building\u2019s main entrance into a temporary display ahead of the city\u2019s Pride celebration<\/a> Thursday.<\/p>\n

Mayor Ken Welch<\/a> said the installation honors St. Petersburg\u2019s LGBTQ+ community while tiptoeing around the legal limits imposed by the state that forced the removal of local street murals last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn St. Pete, we are proud to support our LGBTQ+ community and wrapping the City Hall steps in the Pride flag colors is part of our continuing effort to support our friends and allies,\u201d Welch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we are living through a time when the state is restricting local government\u2019s ability to celebrate and honor all of our residents, our focus remains on recognizing and paying tribute to all who make up the very fabric that makes our city so unique. When I became Mayor, I promised our residents that inclusivity would be at the forefront of my administration, and that\u2019s a promise we continue to deliver on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The move comes after the Florida Department of Transportation last year ordered cities to remove street art<\/a> the state deemed noncompliant, including murals with social, political or ideological messaging.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

St. Pete staff has explored options for public displays that stay within legal limits ever since. Late last year the city installed 11 bike pride-inspired racks along Central Avenue and 25th Street. The intersection was the site of one of five prominent street murals removed<\/a> in St. Pete during a statewide crackdown on street art, including artwork representing LGBTQ+ pride and Black history.<\/p>\n

Clashes over LGBTQ+ support go beyond murals in St. Petersburg. The city is also among those affected by recent state policy aimed at curbing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within local governments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SB 1134<\/a> prohibits counties and municipalities from funding, promoting or taking official action related to DEI<\/a> while also voiding existing programs, policies and ordinances tied to those efforts.<\/p>\n

The law sets up a collision course with St. Petersburg<\/a>, which has long maintained a dedicated department formerly known as the Office of Equity that has been renamed, and multiple roles focused on advancing inclusion across city policy and programming including positions such as an LGBTQ+ Liaison<\/a>. It remains to be seen how the city responds to the law once its provisions kick into gear.<\/p>\n

\u201cArt creates an opportunity to explore new forms of expression that reflect the character of St. Petersburg \u2014 ones that can continue to showcase creativity and highlight the values that define the city,\u201d St. Petersburg Chief of Staff Doyle Walsh said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing the disappointing removal of the street murals last year by the State, City staff continues to explore options that go beyond street art while meeting legal requirements. Not only does this temporary installation at City Hall resonate with those who call St. Pete home, it speaks to who we are as a community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Pride celebration is scheduled for Thursday at City Hall, with a community pop-up beginning at 8 a.m. and the ceremonial raising of the St. Pete pride flag at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg decorated the front steps of City Hall in the colors of the pride flag, turning the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[2346,1432,157,53365,76292,76850,202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-293620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-ken-welch","tag-lgbtq","tag-pride","tag-pride-flag","tag-rainbow","tag-sb-1134","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}