The Florida Department of Transportation has ordered the City of Pensacola to remove the Black Lives Matter mural painted on North A Street, giving the city until Sept. 4, 2025, to comply or face state removal, a bill for costs, and potential withholding of transportation funds.
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In an Aug. 21 letter to City Administrator Tim Kinsella, FDOT District Three Secretary Tim Smith said the pavement markings on North A Street violate state and federal traffic-control standards. The letter cites Section 316.0745, Florida Statutes, which requires conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, FDOT’s Design Manual, and the Florida Greenbook. Smith said those rules apply to “all public roads” and that the mural “requires removal … immediately.”
Smith wrote that Pensacola had already been notified under a statewide memorandum earlier this year.
Read Mayor D.C. Reeves' response to FDOT
"Many local jurisdictions received this memorandum and immediately began undertaking actions to ensure compliance," Smith wrote, "and we appreciate their cooperation. We have not heard from the City of Pensacola regarding whether you intend to comply."
The city may request an administrative hearing within 14 days under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes, but Smith cautioned that “the hearing will not involve a request for an exception or waiver.
"The Department has already reviewed the pavement markings at the location(s) mentioned above and determined that the pavement markings will not be allowed," Smith wrote.
Background: A permitted mural on a city street
Pensacola approved the A Street mural in June 2020 amid nationwide demonstrations after the murder of George Floyd. Local artists organized the project and painted the words “Black Lives Matter” on A Street between West Cervantes and West Gadsden streets.
READ MORE: Why Florida is banning street art with political, social or ideological messaging
At the time, Mayor Grover Robinson praised the mural as fostering community pride and even helping to slow traffic along the corridor. Later that summer, however, the city ended its street-mural permitting program, citing concerns about commercialization and competing proposals. In November 2020, an unpermitted “Trump 2020” roadway painting appeared on 12th Avenue and was removed within 24 hours as vandalism under city rules in place at the time.
Nearby, Milton wrestled with similar issues in 2020. Activists there proposed a Black Lives Matter street mural, sparking heated debate. The city council ultimately rejected it but approved an anti-racism art cube downtown as a compromise.
What’s at issue now
Although the A Street mural sits on a city-controlled roadway and was legally permitted in 2020, FDOT’s position is that uniform traffic-control standards preempt local approvals and apply to “all public roads.” The Aug. 21 letter identifies North A Street as an “initial” noncompliant location — language that suggests more sites could be flagged.
The Pensacola directive arrives as FDOT undertakes a broader effort in 2025 to remove political or social messages painted on public streets, including rainbow crosswalks and other themed pavement markings in cities across Florida. FDOT has said the goal is compliance with uniform standards and roadway safety.
The directive also fits into a larger trend: the Legislature and governor have in recent years passed laws preempting local rules on issues ranging from housing and tenant protections to environmental measures and even pandemic orders. By asserting authority over markings on city streets, FDOT is extending that preemption into the realm of public art.
