TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The City of Tampa has started the process of removing colorful street murals to comply with a new state law.

City crews in Tampa were out Tuesday removing street murals on East Crenshaw Street.

The city has a list of 47 locations that will be scrubbed clean, including a colorful mural near Lake Roberta in Seminole Heights.

The median has a mural of a two-headed alligator, which is the symbol of Seminole Heights.

“My oldest daughter, Madeline, helped paint the butterfly, and she named him Popcorn,” John Fox said.

“They just finished painting this mural,” he said. “We had a lot of community involvement. It was something they fundraised for, for a couple years, and they had to go door-to-door and get every neighbor to sign off.”

Fox said the mural was only finished this past May, but just months later, it’s being removed.

“It’s just so unnecessary and it’s wasteful,” Fox said.

A new state law bans murals on intersections, sidewalks, crosswalks, shoulders, and all lanes, calling it a safety hazard.

“We’re reaching out to neighbors, we’re trying to reach out to members of city council, we’re reaching out to the Florida DOT, and reaching out to the mayor. I’m not really getting a lot of answers from anyone, unfortunately,” said Tom Hill, Treasurer of the Hampton Terrace Community Association.

Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed recent backlash to the new law during a stop in Tampa on Tuesday with Transportation Secretary James W. Purdue.

“We did an inventory of over 400 locations across the state and it’s all kinds of art,” said Purdue.

“It’s just a change in policy. We don’t want to be in a situation where we’re playing whack-a-mole and say ‘Oh no, that mural is fine, but that one’s not,'” the governor said.

State leaders warned that if the artwork isn’t removed, funding for road-related projects and maintenance could be withheld as punishment.

The FDOT has set September 4 as the deadline for the removal.

Neighbors near Lake Roberta believe it’s about more than just safety, and communities are getting caught in the middle of political crossfire.

“I’m looking at all the people that live in my neighborhood and I’m thinking of how much of their investment, both in terms of money, and in terms of time, is literally going to be sandblasted into the drain,” Hill said.

Fox said it’s been tough to explain what’s happening to his daughter.

“She asked me why, and I really didn’t have a good answer for her. Really, I just had to tell her this is what bullies do,” Fox said.