St. Petersburg considers flags for LGBTQ+, Black communities after Florida removes murals

The proposed St. Petersburg Harmony and History flags, designed by Andrea Pawlisz. (Photos via St. Petersburg City Council)

ST. PETERSBURG | St. Petersburg City Council considered approval for two flags recognizing the city’s LGBTQ+ and Black communities Oct. 9, a response to the Florida Department of Transportation‘s removal of the Progressive Pride and Black History Matters murals.

The body opted to delay a vote on the flags, which were designed by Tampa Bay artist Andrea Pawlisz. The resolution’s sponsor, council member Gina Driscoll, said the goal is to assure residents and visitors that the city remains committed to diversity and inclusion.

“As with most art, these flags and their colors have a meaning to each person that is as unique as we are,” Driscoll said before the vote. “Flags are a reflection of a city’s identity, and these flags will go a step further in representing the people of St. Petersburg — all of us.”

Several council members said they wanted more information about what the GOP-led state could do in response, such as cutting funding or other retaliation, as well as what voters think about the idea.

“I do want to see additional conversations,” said council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders. “I do want to know what our constituents have to say.”

The debate will continue at a council committee meeting Oct. 23. Driscoll said many people in the city want something done to respond to removal of the street murals.

“The people I’ve been talking to ever since this mural thing started happening, they want something now. And we’re not giving them anything,” she said, but agreed to the delay. “I think we can get to a good place on this.”

One flag is dubbed “Harmony” and includes the city seal with a rainbow design. The city has long been known as a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people and each year hosts St Pete Pride in June, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ Pride celebration, among others like Come OUT St. Pete and Winter Pride.

Read about these celebrations and more in Watermark Out News’ 2025 Tampa Bay Living Out Loud Guide.

The other flag, dubbed “History,” is a nod to the Black experience in St. Petersburg, which was once heavily segregated. In one example, Black police officers for years were prevented from arresting white people north of the Central Avenue boundary that cuts through downtown. A federal judge eventually overturned that practice. Today, it is home to the Woodson African American Museum.

The flags are a reaction to a decision by DeSantis and his administration to erase street art around the state — the governor contends many are inappropriate roadway political messages — including at least five murals in St. Petersburg.

The city council meeting included public comment, welcoming Tampa Bay advocates who spoke in favor of adopting the flags. They included Nathan Bruemmer.

“Symbols in cities and communities are crucial because they embody shared values, define collective identity and foster belonging … acting as powerful and communicative representations of who, as a community, we are, and what we stand for,” he said. “These symbols transform abstract ideas into meaningful images and help create shared understanding of the community’s history, present and future.”

Pawlisz also spoke.

“I designed and led the team to paint [the Progressive Pride street mural] five years ago … it was important to me to design these flags when the intersection was censored and erased,” she shared. “Our city is changing, as our country changes, and if we truly want to be called the city of the arts, we need to support artists … art has power.

“These two flags are uncomplicated. They’re colors. The History flag has red for bloodshed, black for heritage and green for abundance and hope for the future … the Harmony flag has red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue or serenity and violet for spirit,” Pawlisz continued. “The other colors represent people of color and genders. There’s nothing nefarious about any of these colors or the way that they’re arranged on the flag.”

View the City Council meeting here.

DeSantis spokeswoman Molly Best said Oct. 9 the flags are unnecessary because “we already have a flag that represents everyone.” She did not specify in an email whether that was the state or U.S. flag, nor whether the governor might challenge the St. Petersburg flags.

The flags would be flown on city property at “appropriate times,” according to Driscoll’s resolution, which would most likely include Pride month in June and Black History Month in February.

“The city should fly variations on the official flag to represent a shared sense of local identity, fostering a spirit of unity and belonging,” the resolution says.