PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Some splashes of color are catching attention in Panama City, but they won’t be around for long because of new state requirements.
In accordance with a new state law, all art on crosswalks must be removed. Panama City officials said they’re aware of rainbow chalk art that has popped up on some crosswalks overnight.
Bay Arts Alliance is working to bring art to the community while working with city guidelines.
“We don’t want to see crosswalks go away, but we completely understand we play by the rules, and we would like other ways to bring that public art and share it with our community,” said Jayson Kretezer, Executive Director of Bay Arts Alliance.
One local business owner said it could be a safety hazard.
“It is public property, I wouldn’t think that it is different than defacing anything else, it’s a safety issue in my opinion. If you’ve got somebody stopping and taking photos as congested as it is, especially downtown, the last thing we would want to see is somebody get injured or hurt by a vehicle, piece of equipment or just anything,” said Josh Petty, C&G Sporting Goods partner.
Petty said he expects the unidentified individuals to color the streets again. Although temporary, the chalk art has made its mark downtown.
The new street art law requires cities to follow FDOT traffic safety standards, banning non-uniform markings like street art on roads and crosswalks. Cities and counties that don’t comply could lose state funding.
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