ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Two males have been arrested after police mentioned they tried to dam FDOT crews from portray over the “Black Historical past Issues” avenue mural in St. Petersburg.
What we all know:
The St. Pete Police Division mentioned crews with the Florida Division of Transportation arrived at 8 p.m. to color over the road mural on ninth Avenue South, west of twenty second Avenue South.
RELATED: Gov. DeSantis doubles down on FDOT order to take away avenue murals
Nonetheless, officers mentioned Andrew Oliver, 45, and Benedict Atherton-Zeman, 59, walked by cops and sat down within the highway, on high of the mural. Officers mentioned they have been making an attempt to dam FDOT equipment.
Officers mentioned they warned each of them to maneuver repeatedly, however they refused. That is when police arrested them, in keeping with the division.
Oliver and Atherton-Zeman have been arrested on two fees, together with pedestrian obstructing or hindering site visitors and obstruction.
Pictured: Black Historical past Issues mural on ninth Avenue South, west of twenty second Avenue South.
FDOT orders elimination of avenue murals
The backstory:
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Invoice 1662 into regulation in June. FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue described the invoice as an effort to maintain transportation services free and away from political ideologies.
FDOT is ordering cities and counties to determine and probably take away paintings on roadways which will violate state site visitors management tips. State officers have mentioned “non-standard floor markings” may cause distractions or misunderstandings on the highway and jeopardize driver and pedestrian security.
Native perspective:
The town of St. Pete had requested to maintain a number of items of paintings on its roadways, together with a Delight mural, a USF campus mural and the “Black Historical past Issues” mural outdoors the Woodson African American Historical past Museum. The town had mentioned crash information confirmed that sure avenue murals on its roadways aren’t a security threat.
Nonetheless, FDOT denied that request a few week in the past.
READ: FDOT denies St. Pete’s request to maintain a number of avenue murals on roadways
Metropolis officers mentioned on Monday that they’d be strategic and never reactionary concerning FDOT’s determination and inspired residents to do the identical.
“These murals are greater than paint on pavement. They’re expressions of our neighborhood identification and values,” St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch mentioned throughout a information convention on Monday.
When FDOT instructed town that the road murals needed to be eliminated, Welch mentioned town pushed again, however FDOT threatened penalties that may have value town thousands and thousands of {dollars} in state funding.
“Because the mayor of our metropolis, I cannot threat these important investments in a combat I don’t imagine we will win,” Welch mentioned. “That might be irresponsible management and detrimental to our metropolis in the long term. However make no mistake, this isn’t the top of the story. Our response can be strategic, not reactionary.”
The opposite facet:
DeSantis responded to the outcry over FDOT’s order. The governor was in Tampa on Tuesday morning, the place he and the FDOT secretary doubled down on the statewide order.
“We’re not doing the commandeering of the roads to place up messaging,” DeSantis mentioned.
On Tuesday, at a transportation press convention, DeSantis mentioned the transfer was a coverage change by the state legislature.
“The roads are there for both pedestrians to cross or automobiles to go, and that is what it’ll be,” DeSantis mentioned.
The Supply: The data on this story was offered by the St. Petersburg Police Division in addition to earlier reporting on FDOT’s order to take away avenue murals throughout the state.
