Artist paints free murals in response to mural removals

GULFPORT, Fla. — The deadline is looming for Florida municipalities to remove street art.

The Florida Department of Transportation sent letters to local governments instructing them to remove street art it has deemed political and distracting.

What You Need To Know

 Many street murals have to be removed in Florida, due to state orders

 In response ArtFluent Creatives is painting small murals on private property for free

 The art agency said it’s paintings honor marginalized communities 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wouldn’t allow state roads to be taken over for political purposes

There are 47 locations where art will be removed in the city of Tampa.

Five murals in St. Petersburg are also going to be erased.

In response, a Pinellas County artist has started a project to paint murals on private properties — the “Love Thy Neighbor Project” by ArtFluent Creatives kicked off on Friday.

Every stroke of the paint brush had a purpose.

“Try to get in all the little holes, make sure this is really durable,” said Michelle Sasha, owner of ArtFluent Creatives.

Sasha has always had an interest in art, but she’s made a career out of it for the last eight years.

“You just create things that make people happy it’s the best job that there could be,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it every day.”

Friday she kicked off The Love Thy Neighbor Project with her art agency ArtFluent Creatives. Sasha and her team of artists are painting small murals for free that she said honor marginalized communities. 

“I want to help the ones that need the louder voice, gain a louder voice,” Sasha said.

The project was inspired when the state required removal of street murals. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X  that he “would not allow state roads to be commandeered for political purposes”.

“I wanted a way to give the community that same hug that the street murals gave,” Sasha said.

The second mural for the project was painted on Friday at a Gulfport home. The homeowner’s daughter’s fiancé is transgender, so she said she requested a pride flag for her.

“The rainbow for me is definitely about pride, but about love and acceptance and everybody deserves to feel that welcome and loved and celebrated,” Christine Christoff said.

So far, ArtFluent Creatives has received 60 requests for murals across Pinellas County, and Sasha said she’s expecting a lot more.

“As long as we lead with humanity and remember that everybody’s a human that deserves respect and kindness, and that’s the best thing that I can promote,” Sasha said.

Sasha said she hopes that this project will inspire artists in other Florida communities. She said she can help get them started.

For more information on the Love Thy Neighbor Project, visit the ArtFluent Creatives website.