{"id":354287,"date":"2026-07-27T23:04:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/354287\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T23:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:04:23","slug":"lgbtq-artwork-returns-to-five-points-with-a-mural-celebrating-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/354287\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ artwork returns to Five Points with a mural celebrating diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

A mural to commemorate the Five Points neighborhood\u2019s past, celebrate its diversity and affirm its LGBTQ community is taking shape at the iconic corner.<\/p>\n

The mural \u2014 called \u201cWill Not Be Erased\u201d \u2014 is partly a reaction to an order from the Florida Department of Transportation a year ago to remove messages or images<\/a> on crosswalks and pavement to make \u201croads safer and easier to navigate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The order included rainbow-colored crosswalks<\/a> like those used to decorate Five Points.<\/p>\n

City Council member Jimmy Peluso praised the mural that local artist Shaun Thurston<\/a> began on Saturday. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe state said we can\u2019t paint on the roads. Fine,\u201d Peluso wrote on Facebook. \u201cWe will just paint on the massive wall behind that street. This work has been a collaboration by artists, neighborhood organizations, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. This mural is for Five Points, and this mural is for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The Lomax Street wall sits between two crosswalks that had been painted with rainbow colors. The Florida Department of Transportation ordered that the rainbow colors be removed. | Community Task Force<\/p>\n

Officials all over Florida were alerted to changes in pavement safety rules in the memo from FDOT on June 30 2025. It said messages or images on municipal streets could be distracting. FDOT officials said the changes were in response to Senate Bill 1662<\/a>, which directed the department to \u201censure compliance with FDOT\u2019s uniform system for traffic control devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Critics across the state interpreted the mandate as an attack on the LGBTQ community. One of the state\u2019s first actions was to paint over a rainbow crosswalk in Orlando near the Pulse nightclub, a gay-friendly bar where 49 people died in a mass shooting in 2016.<\/p>\n

FDOT wrote to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan on Aug. 21, 2025, that the city had to remove pavement and crosswalk art in San Marco, Springfield and the Eastside. It also said that three rainbow-painted crosswalks on Lomax and West Lomax streets had to be modified.<\/p>\n

At the time, city spokesman Phil Perry said the FDOT mandate was perplexing, since some studies have shown decorated crosswalks to be safer. In a statement to Jacksonville Today, Perry reminded people that despite complying with the FDOT order, the city welcomes everyone and \u201cpublic art beautifies the city while driving economic development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Planning the mural<\/p>\n

The Jax LGBT Chamber<\/a>\u2018s member businesses began working on alternatives, seeking painters and artists as it planned to counter removal of the rainbow crosswalk, said president David Vandygriff.<\/p>\n

That resulted in a community task force that worked together to beautify Five Points. Its first project is this new mural, funded by the JAX LGBT Chamber of Commerce<\/a>, Riverside Avondale Preservation, Five Points Merchants Association, Equality Florida, JASMYN and 12 other organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018Will Not Be Erased\u2019 mural is more than a painting \u2014 it is a promise,\u201d states a Community Task Force statement. \u201cIt is a declaration that LGBTQ+ people have always been part of Jacksonville\u2019s history and will continue to be part of its future. Through this project, we honor those who came before us while creating a lasting legacy for generations yet to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"An older mural at the Lomax Street corner was painted over in black to prepare for the new mural by artist Shaun Thurston. | Riverside Avondale Preservation<\/p>\n

The 1,700-square-foot mural will replace a black-painted wall at 1059 Park St., just east of Park Street, that has contained various pieces of art in recent years. Thurston is a Jacksonville native who has painted murals throughout the city, including EverBank Stadium, Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens and the Museum of Contemporary Art.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The mural is slated to be completed before Jax River Pride 2026 celebrations in October. A Community Task Force statement said that it will strengthen cultural tourism, support neighborhood businesses, preserve local history and create a welcoming gathering place for community events.<\/p>\n

The task force is making a final push for donations to fund the mural. Donations can be made to the 5 Points LGBTQ+ Pride Mural fundraiser<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Parking spaces adjacent to the mural will be blocked off during the monthlong painting process to prevent vehicles from overspray.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A mural to commemorate the Five Points neighborhood\u2019s past, celebrate its diversity and affirm its LGBTQ community is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3087,2813,115846,43323,5617,88005,116,118,117,28983,78307,115,36512],"class_list":["post-354287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-art","tag-arts","tag-culture-events","tag-distribute","tag-five-points","tag-government-politics","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-jaxtdy2","tag-local-history","tag-news","tag-state-government"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354287","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=354287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}