WUFT | News and public media for north central Florida
Why Florida is banning street art with political, social or ideological messaging
By Meghan Bowman
August 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
Rainbow-painted crosswalks and Black Lives Matter street art installations could be a thing of the past. New guidelines place bans on political, social or ideological messaging.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2576263462735934
Rainbow-painted crosswalks, Black Lives Matter and Back the Blue street installations will soon be a thing of the past in Florida.
A recent memo from the Florida Department of Transportation bans art on travel lanes, paved shoulders, intersections, crosswalks, and sidewalks. FDOT said it's to make roads safer for drivers and pedestrians.
If the installations are not removed, FDOT can "enforce compliance and withhold state funds from any public agency that is found to be in violation" for essential projects like pothole repairs, road construction, and bridge maintenance.
It started with a new state law
Florida law mandates all public roads in the state comply with the national guidelines established by the Federal Highway Administration in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1662 into law in mid-June. In part, it requires FDOT to ensure compliance with state guidelines in the 2025 FDOT Design Manual for all traffic control devices. The manual adds "more stringent" requirements to the national standards.
FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue posted the memo in early July, saying it reemphasizes the state's efforts to keep "transportation facilities free (and) clear of political ideologies." He praised DeSantis and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Around the same time, Duffy sent a letter to all state governors, giving them 60 days to identify similar safety improvements.
https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1940149175108440264
Who will the new rules affect?
One of St. Petersburg’s most iconic LGBTQ+ art installations, the Progressive Pride Street Mural, might soon be painted over.
The rainbow intersection at Central Avenue and 25th Street was installed in 2020, with the permission of FDOT and the city. It highlights the birthplace of St. Pete Pride, which began in 2003 and is now one of the largest Pride celebrations in the Southeast. The event attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year.
A yellow-painted "Resist" sits on the sidewalk next to St. Petersburg's Progressive Pride Street Mural. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The organization's president, Byron Green-Calisch, said the installation is a reminder that Pride doesn't happen only in June.
“It is a part of our history. It is a part of our current. It is a part of our future," Green-Calisch said. "It's a reminder that queer people are here all year long.”
In early July, Duffy posted to X: “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”
But Green-Calisch said from "soup to nuts," no tax dollars were used for the street mural.
"The upkeep, the volunteers that come out to engage with it, the paint that we purchase, the sweat equity we pay to have the roads shut down while we do it. All of that comes from donations, from community members," he said.
Green-Calisch said the government's efforts to get rid of street art will only mobilize people. And he plans to fight for all street art, not just LGBTQ+ installations.
"Because when you come for one, you are coming for all, and it is disingenuous for us to fight for inclusion if we only fight for queer inclusion, this liberation has to be for all of us," he said.
St. Petersburg resident Carlos Rodriguez wants St. Pete's rainbow-colored street mural to stay. (587x879, AR: 0.6678043230944255)
But the financial impacts of keeping art, and potentially losing state dollars, are not lost on him.
“How do we both navigate the pushback of the erasure of marginalized communities while also fighting knowing that those communities are also going to be the most impacted?” Green-Calisch said.
There are residents who live near the mural who also want it to stay, like Carlos Rodriguez.
“Because it shows you how people feel, it makes the community happy, and it turns all (of) us into one,” he said.
Others, like Scott Neff, said removing it would only increase people's distrust in the government.
“(The mural) represents people’s identity, and it's a free country," Neff said. "Everybody should have the chance to express who they are without fear of being judged or criticized for it.”
Guidelines not clear for temporary art
FDOT's memo language is not clear whether groups like the Global Love Project, a movement created by chalk artist Justin Lucci, will also be affected.
Almost every Sunday morning for the past four years, Lucci has gone to the same spot off Central Avenue and 11th Street, a few blocks away from the Progressive Pride Street Mural, to draw messages of love, hope and unity with chalk — a temporary medium.
Since then, the project has grown a lot. Lucci has expanded to another location at Vinoy Park. He said in total he’s drawn alongside more than 10,000 other community members, and his spot off Central Avenue is now a designated tourist attraction on Google Maps.
To Lucci, the chalk art and street murals are representations of love. He said reading the memo “shook” him.
Every week, community members gather at 11th Street and Central Avenue to draw messages of love and hope with chalk on the sidewalk. On Dec. 10, artists drew a snail with a message of love. (1440x1800, AR: 0.8)
“I felt more inspired to lean in more to chalk and just the permission for people to openly express together,“ he said. “You can't stop artists from creating. It’s part of who we are as beings.”
What local governments are doing
Officials in St. Petersburg said they’re discussing whether any local art qualifies for exemption. They haven’t painted over anything yet, but other cities have.
Boynton Beach covered a rainbow street mural in July.
Tampa will soon start removing all street art, including the “Back the Blue” mural outside the downtown police station.
Sarasota will remove multiple installations, including the LGBTQ+ focused PrideWalk.
Delray Beach declined to comment about its Pride street mural.
Miami and Orlando did not respond.
From the Panhandle to the Keys, some cities and municipalities have street art like rainbow crosswalks or Black Lives Matter installations. Boynton Beach has removed its Pride-focused intersection, and other local governments have confirmed they will comply, too. (1650x1275, AR: 1.2941176470588236)
Rainbow-painted crosswalks, Black Lives Matter and Back the Blue street installations will soon be a thing of the past in Florida.
A recent memo from the Florida Department of Transportation bans art on travel lanes, paved shoulders, intersections, crosswalks, and sidewalks. FDOT said it's to make roads safer for drivers and pedestrians.
If the installations are not removed, FDOT can "enforce compliance and withhold state funds from any public agency that is found to be in violation" for essential projects like pothole repairs, road construction, and bridge maintenance.
It started with a new state law
Florida law mandates all public roads in the state comply with the national guidelines established by the Federal Highway Administration in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1662 into law in mid-June. In part, it requires FDOT to ensure compliance with state guidelines in the 2025 FDOT Design Manual for all traffic control devices. The manual adds "more stringent" requirements to the national standards.
FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue posted the memo in early July, saying it reemphasizes the state's efforts to keep "transportation facilities free (and) clear of political ideologies." He praised DeSantis and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Around the same time, Duffy sent a letter to all state governors, giving them 60 days to identify similar safety improvements.
https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1940149175108440264
Who will the new rules affect?
One of St. Petersburg’s most iconic LGBTQ+ art installations, the Progressive Pride Street Mural, might soon be painted over.
The rainbow intersection at Central Avenue and 25th Street was installed in 2020, with the permission of FDOT and the city. It highlights the birthplace of St. Pete Pride, which began in 2003 and is now one of the largest Pride celebrations in the Southeast. The event attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year.
A yellow-painted "Resist" sits on the sidewalk next to St. Petersburg's Progressive Pride Street Mural. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The organization's president, Byron Green-Calisch, said the installation is a reminder that Pride doesn't happen only in June.
“It is a part of our history. It is a part of our current. It is a part of our future," Green-Calisch said. "It's a reminder that queer people are here all year long.”
In early July, Duffy posted to X: “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”
But Green-Calisch said from "soup to nuts," no tax dollars were used for the street mural.
"The upkeep, the volunteers that come out to engage with it, the paint that we purchase, the sweat equity we pay to have the roads shut down while we do it. All of that comes from donations, from community members," he said.
Green-Calisch said the government's efforts to get rid of street art will only mobilize people. And he plans to fight for all street art, not just LGBTQ+ installations.
"Because when you come for one, you are coming for all, and it is disingenuous for us to fight for inclusion if we only fight for queer inclusion, this liberation has to be for all of us," he said.
St. Petersburg resident Carlos Rodriguez wants St. Pete's rainbow-colored street mural to stay. (587x879, AR: 0.6678043230944255)
But the financial impacts of keeping art, and potentially losing state dollars, are not lost on him.
“How do we both navigate the pushback of the erasure of marginalized communities while also fighting knowing that those communities are also going to be the most impacted?” Green-Calisch said.
There are residents who live near the mural who also want it to stay, like Carlos Rodriguez.
“Because it shows you how people feel, it makes the community happy, and it turns all (of) us into one,” he said.
Others, like Scott Neff, said removing it would only increase people's distrust in the government.
“(The mural) represents people’s identity, and it's a free country," Neff said. "Everybody should have the chance to express who they are without fear of being judged or criticized for it.”
Guidelines not clear for temporary art
FDOT's memo language is not clear whether groups like the Global Love Project, a movement created by chalk artist Justin Lucci, will also be affected.
Almost every Sunday morning for the past four years, Lucci has gone to the same spot off Central Avenue and 11th Street, a few blocks away from the Progressive Pride Street Mural, to draw messages of love, hope and unity with chalk — a temporary medium.
Since then, the project has grown a lot. Lucci has expanded to another location at Vinoy Park. He said in total he’s drawn alongside more than 10,000 other community members, and his spot off Central Avenue is now a designated tourist attraction on Google Maps.
To Lucci, the chalk art and street murals are representations of love. He said reading the memo “shook” him.
Every week, community members gather at 11th Street and Central Avenue to draw messages of love and hope with chalk on the sidewalk. On Dec. 10, artists drew a snail with a message of love. (1440x1800, AR: 0.8)
“I felt more inspired to lean in more to chalk and just the permission for people to openly express together,“ he said. “You can't stop artists from creating. It’s part of who we are as beings.”
What local governments are doing
Officials in St. Petersburg said they’re discussing whether any local art qualifies for exemption. They haven’t painted over anything yet, but other cities have.
Boynton Beach covered a rainbow street mural in July.
Tampa will soon start removing all street art, including the “Back the Blue” mural outside the downtown police station.
Sarasota will remove multiple installations, including the LGBTQ+ focused PrideWalk.
Delray Beach declined to comment about its Pride street mural.
Miami and Orlando did not respond.
From the Panhandle to the Keys, some cities and municipalities have street art like rainbow crosswalks or Black Lives Matter installations. Boynton Beach has removed its Pride-focused intersection, and other local governments have confirmed they will comply, too. (1650x1275, AR: 1.2941176470588236)