# @usfcrowsnest on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DN9VcWRCdqO
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34027910-usfcrowsnest-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/843d961cdd.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-08-30T00:03:52.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** The Crow's Nest at USF St. Petersburg (@usfcrowsnest) — https://gondola.cc/usfcrowsnest

## Caption

At approximately 3 p.m., the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) arrived at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus to begin removing the campus’ street mural titled “Fluid Structures.”

The removal comes just one week after FDOT denied the City of St. Petersburg’s request to keep the city’s five street murals, a pushback against FDOT’s June memo ordering Florida cities to remove “non-standard surface markings” or risk losing state funding.

The memo cited safety reasons, stating that street art can lead to “distractions or misunderstandings.” U.S Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on X after issuing his own letter to all U.S. states and territories, that “taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”

In the ensuing months, Florida cities such as Orlando, Pensacola and Daytona Beach removed all non-compliant street art. 

“It is not a safety issue,” St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch told The Crow’s Nest hours before FDOT arrived on campus. “So it’s just not based on data and fact. We think it’s political and that should not be the case.”

Welch says that St. Petersburg is going to be “strategic” about how it approaches expression, ensuring that the state cannot undermine the city moving forward. 

“Fluid Structures” was implemented in 2023 as a part of that year’s Shine Mural Festival. Painted by Jay Giroux and 10 students from USF St. Petersburg’s graphic arts program, the mural depicted a marine ecosystem through a series of geometric shapes, and did not feature any political or identity-related symbols. 

📸 Photos by Makenna Wozniak and Suzanne Townsend | The Crow’s Nest.

#fdot #usf #usfsp

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## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The Crow's Nest at USF St. Petersburg | @usfcrowsnest | https://gondola.cc/usfcrowsnest | Newspaper |
| MW Photography | @makennaw_photography | https://gondola.cc/makennaw_photography | Photographer |

## Tags

fdot, usfsp, usf

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