St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch took to social media on Friday, confirming that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has denied the city's request to make its street art murals exempt from a new state order. In a memo released in June, FDOT said the directive aims to remove "non-standard surface markings," including surface art that "is associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control." In its letter to the city, FDOT said the following sites in St. Pete, which include LGBTQ+ and Black history murals, do not comply with the state's safety and "traffic control device" standards: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/st-pete-florida-street-art-mural-removal-pride-black-history/67-2ff819ba-36db-476e-aa17-682cad708f37