St. Petersburg must remove and prohibit street murals honoring the city’s diversity and inclusivity, along with any other street and sidewalk art, or potentially lose state funding.
An internal Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) memo dated June 30 highlights the state’s prohibition of pavement or surface art and the need to ensure compliance. Assistant Secretary Will Watts cited safety concerns and the potential interference with automated vehicles.
Watts wrote that “social, political or ideological messages or images” are examples of non-compliant street art. The memo, obtained by the Catalyst, also states that enforcing the ban would ensure the state’s design practices align with national standards…