After Pride Murals Removed, St. Petersburg Installs Rainbow Bike Racks Along Central Avenue

City officials in St. Petersburg, Florida, have installed 11 new rainbow “Pride-inspired” bicycle racks along Central Avenue and 25th Street as a highly visible, permanent acknowledgment of the city’s LGBTQ+ community and its Pride history. The racks, which feature the colors of the Pride flag, were funded through the city’s long-standing public bike rack program and are intended both as functional infrastructure and as public art.

The move follows months of controversy after Pride-themed street murals on city roads were removed earlier in the year at the direction of the Florida Department of Transportation, which cited state regulations regarding markings on state roadways. City leaders said the new bike racks offer a way to maintain LGBTQ+ visibility in public space while complying with transportation rules that were used to justify the removal of the murals.

According to reporting by Florida Politics, the 11 racks are placed in the Grand Central District, a neighborhood that has long been a hub for LGBTQ+ residents, businesses, and Pride celebrations in St. Petersburg. The installations are described as “Pride-inspired,” echoing the design and spirit of the earlier crosswalk and street art while giving people a practical place to secure their bicycles.

Local officials have framed the project as part of St. Petersburg’s broader commitment to inclusion, even as state-level policies and decisions have put new constraints on how cities can show support for LGBTQ+ communities. In previous years, St. Petersburg has been recognized by national LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign , for adopting local non-discrimination protections and supporting Pride events, positioning the city as one of Florida’s more LGBTQ+–affirming municipalities.

The removal of the Pride street murals earlier this year drew criticism from local advocates, who argued that the murals had become symbols of safety, visibility, and community for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors. While the bike racks are more modest in scale than full street murals, advocates say that highly visible, everyday symbols can still help transgender people, nonbinary people, and other LGBTQ+ residents feel acknowledged in public spaces.

City representatives have emphasized that the new racks were financed through an existing public bike rack program rather than a special one-time initiative, presenting the project as an integrated part of St. Petersburg’s ongoing investments in multimodal transportation and streetscape improvements. By pairing infrastructure with inclusive symbolism, officials say they hope to normalize LGBTQ+–affirming design elements as part of everyday city planning.

From an urban design perspective, the project reflects a broader trend in U.S. cities of using functional elements—such as benches, crosswalks, and bike racks—to convey support for LGBTQ+ communities in ways that can withstand legal or regulatory scrutiny. Advocacy groups note that these visible markers, when combined with substantive policies like non-discrimination ordinances and inclusive city services, can contribute to a sense of belonging and safety for LGBTQ+ people.

St. Petersburg’s new Pride-inspired racks also arrive amid broader debates in Florida over LGBTQ+ rights and expression in public spaces, including recent state-level restrictions on classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity and limits on certain forms of public performance. In that context, local actions like the rainbow racks take on added significance for many residents and advocates, who see municipal decisions as one of the remaining avenues for visible support.

Advocates stress that symbolic gestures alone cannot address the full range of challenges facing LGBTQ+ people in Florida, including discrimination, health care barriers for transgender people, and safety concerns. However, they also point out that public symbols often function as entry points to broader conversations about inclusion, helping to signal that local governments recognize LGBTQ+ people as integral members of the community.

St. Petersburg officials have not indicated that the bike racks will replace any future consideration of Pride murals or other public art, but they have described the installations as part of a continuing effort to balance regulatory requirements with a desire to keep LGBTQ+ communities highly visible in the city’s cultural landscape. For many local residents and visitors who pass along Central Avenue, the new rainbow racks will serve as daily reminders of that ongoing effort to maintain inclusive public space.