St. Petersburg’s rainbow crosswalk and a colorful geometric intersection nearby have been painted black for a second time, and this time the city’s mayor isn’t staying quiet. Crews recently recovered the Progressive Pride mural at Central Avenue and 25th Street and artist Cecilia Lueza’s Common Ground mural at Central Avenue and 5th Street, erasing the colors that had just started peeking back through worn asphalt.
Mayor Ken Welch condemned the move on Wednesday, accusing the Florida Department of Transportation of what he called a “deliberate campaign of erasure,” according to St. Pete Catalyst. Welch said the state “cannot erase our pride or change our values.” The mayor had previously declined to challenge FDOT’s original 2025 removal order, wary of jeopardizing the city’s state transportation funding, the outlet reported.
The Progressive Pride mural was installed in 2020, while Lueza’s Common Ground design dates back to the 2016 SHINE Mural Festival, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Both were among five St. Petersburg installations FDOT ordered removed last year, the newspaper noted.
City Officials Say They Were Kept in the Dark
St. Petersburg officials said Tuesday they had no idea the murals were being blacked out again and confirmed no city personnel were involved in the work, per Florida Politics. FDOT did not immediately confirm whether its own contractors carried out the repainting, the outlet reported. City workers had also refused to physically remove the art during the original 2025 order, according to the same report…