Murals

After a weekend of several arrests of protesters outside the former Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he supports the state's crackdown on people who "deface" crosswalks.

The clergymen were arrested outside the Woodson African American Museum in St. Petersburg as workers attempted to cover up a Black Lives Matter mural.

The rainbow battle for the crosswalk on Orange Avenue and Esther Street continued Friday with new signs placed on the road stating that "defacing" the crosswalk is prohibited.

Florida is cracking down on street art. Tampa and St. Petersburg have until Sept. 4 to remove it all. Gov. Ron DeSantis calls it a safety hazard, but others don't buy it.

Last week, Fort Myers Mural Society executive director Shari Shifrin learned Sarasota is removing more than 200 sidewalk panels in the historic Burns Court arts and culture district.

Mayor Ken Welch gave a call to action for residents to visit the mural sites, take photos and share them with others. He said to use hashtags like: "#WeAreStPete," "#OurStreetsOurVoices" and "#CantErase."

The city council asked a committee to discuss how St. Petersburg could comply and what other options community artists could have to express themselves.

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.

This year, frontline health care workers will be able to watch as selected mural artists decorate walls and places around downtown St. Petersburg.

From a distance, the bright fluorescent figures under the Boot Ranch overpass in Palm Harbor may look like another wall covered in graffiti; but, take a…