St. Pete forced to remove rainbow road art from intersections after state denies appeal

The city of St. Petersburg will remove public art located on roadways at five intersections after the state denied its request for an exception. 

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) had notified the city that the intersections were not in compliance with the Engineering and Operations Memorandum No. 25-01 regarding traffic control and street design. 

The city requested an exception, but on Friday received word that it was denied. The letter reminded the city that noncompliance with its order to remove the street art would result in the state pursuing the “withholding of state funds.”

Mayor Ken Welch shared images of the letters, as well as one from the city informing the state that it would comply with removal. He said the decision to remove the art came after consultation with the city attorney’s office. 

“The City remains committed to working with our community to find lawful ways to celebrate and express our values in the public realm. While these specific art murals will be removed, the spirit of what makes St. Pete a special place can’t be suppressed by legislative fiat, and we will find meaningful ways to express our shared values,” Welch wrote. 

City staff will not remove the artwork. Instead, FDOT will be responsible for the removal and any necessary repainting. The city will reimburse FDOT for the cost. 

The artwork will be removed by Sept. 4. 

The letters come after the state earlier this week painted over a rainbow crosswalk in Orlando, in the middle of the night, that was part of the Pulse Memorial honoring the 49 lives lost after a gunman opened fire at the LGBTQ+ nightclub in 2016. It was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time. 

Outrage ensued, with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer calling the crosswalk paint removal a “cruel political act.”

Members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, led by state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, later used sidewalk chalk to restore the rainbow coloring to the crosswalk. 

Within minutes of Welch’s announcement that the city’s appeal to the state to leave the street art in place was denied, and that the city would allow removal, several residents commented. 

“We need to stop capitulating to racism, sexism and homophobia regardless of the cost,” wrote Paul Ray. 

“And we’ll fix it back. I hope you’ll stand with us when we’re out there with chalk,” added Ellie Amos, referencing the actions in Orlando. 

Another person, Richard Randall, agreed that the community would replace the removed art.

“We will not be erased at the whim of some government ideology that wants to whitewash America,” he wrote. 

Another commenter, James Warren, told Welch to “grow a set of balls and stand up for your city.”

The intersections in question are at Central Ave. and 5th St. North; 6th Ave. and 2nd St. South; 9th Ave. and 22nd Ln. South; Central Ave. and 25th St. North; and 11th Ave. and 46th St. South.