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By Jesse Mendoza<\/a><\/p>\n There is a little more Pride on the streets of St. Pete, following the installation of 11 Pride-inspired bike racks in honor of Pride street murals that were removed earlier this year.<\/p>\n The City of St. Petersburg installed rainbow bike racks in the Grand Central District along Central Avenue and 25th Street. The intersection was the site of one of\u00a0five prominent street murals removed<\/a> in St. Pete during a statewide crackdown on street art,\u00a0including\u00a0artwork representing\u00a0LGBTQ+ Pride and Black history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An executive order from Gov.\u00a0Ron DeSantis led the removal effort.\u00a0The Florida Department of Transportation completed it overnight at St. Pete\u2019s expense, prompting Mayor\u00a0Ken Welch<\/a> to call for creative ways to honor the artwork\u2019s\u00a0importance\u00a0to the community.<\/p>\n Welch and\u00a0the City Council have debated what that would look like in\u00a0subsequent discussions<\/a>, but the bike racks represent one step toward honoring the neighborhood\u2019s lost mural. The mural was iconic, decorating the intersection with brightly colored stripes in the colors of the progressive Pride flag, drawn just steps from a popular LGBTQ+ nightclub and other safe spaces for the community. Funding for the project was through the City\u2019s long-standing public bike rack program.<\/p>\n Welch\u2019s Chief of Staff,\u00a0Jordan Doyle Walsh, told City Council members in an email that the bike rack installation is only one component of the ongoing response to the erasure of the street art.<\/p>\n The other murals removed include the Black History Matters<\/a> mural on 9th Avenue South, despite protests from two local pastors, Revs.\u00a0Andy Oliver\u00a0and\u00a0Benedict Atherton-Zeman\u00a0were\u00a0arrested for sitting on the mural<\/a> and later released.\u00a0The Fluid Structures mural<\/a> located at the University of South Florida St. Pete campus,\u00a0the\u00a0Common Ground mural<\/a>, and the Crux mural<\/a> in Child\u2019s Park were also removed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were excited that there was consensus around one of the Administration\u2019s proposed actions discussed during the previous (Committee of the Whole) meeting and other forums regarding City and community response,\u201d Walsh said in the email.<\/p>\n \u201cWe intend that this small gesture of inclusion and celebration will be a symbol of our resolve to not be silenced,\u201d he said. \u201cWe thank City Council for supporting and collaborating on this effort and we look forward to working with you and the community as we move forward together.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Janelle Irwin Taylor<\/a>\u00a0of Florida Politics contributed to this report.<\/p>\n The post After mural crackdown, St. Pete installs 11 Pride-inspired bike racks<\/a> appeared first on Florida Politics \u2013 Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.<\/a>.<\/p>\n Disclaimer<\/p>\n The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
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