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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., (WFLA) — Thursday afternoon, members of the LGBTQ community, NAACP of St. Pete, and The Woodson held a ‘Save Our Murals’ protest at City Hall.
The protest is in opposition to the Department of Transportation’s request to remove road art.
“An individual community should be able to make its own decisions about what values it represents,” protestor Gregg Stemm said. “St. Petersburg is a very progressive community and we reflect that in our values and in our art.”
Following orders from the Trump administration, FDOT has given a deadline of August 30 to cities and counties to submit a list of road art and mural locations that will be removed.
The Mayor of St. Pete sent out this statement:
In recent weeks, many residents have expressed their concerns and have questions about a memo the City received from FDOT regarding painted infrastructure. I want to reassure residents that we have taken a thoughtful approach to this issue. Based on our previous discussions with FDOT, the City is working to compile our inventory list of painted infrastructure, understand the scope of the memo, and discuss if any of the City’s public art qualifies for an exemption. At this time, no determination has been made on potential exemptions. The City will wait for a determination from FDOT prior to taking any additional action on painted infrastructure and we will share those updates when available. Regardless of outcome, we will continue to explore ways to reflect our culture and values as a city. Ultimately, we want to be sure we are working through this process strategically, while also supporting our community.
Mayor Kenneth T. Welch
“St. Petersburg has always been a welcoming and diverse city, and we’re here to try and protect that and keep it that way,” protestor Rick Nale said.
On X, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted saying, “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”
Some people disagree with that message.
“You can, in fact, paint over words, but you can’t paint over our faces, we’re not going anywhere and together we will rise,” said Terri Lipsey Scott, Executive Director of The Woodson African American Museum of Florida.
“It’s very frustrating to us and it feels like it’s an invasion of us as a people of St. Petersburg, and we just say no, we’re saying no to the state,” Stemm said.
DOT wants all of the art removed by September of next year.
During the council meeting, council members unanimously posted a motion to have a formal discussion committee in September.