(Concept art courtesy ArtFluent Creatives)
ST. PETERSBURG | A new community initiative is providing inclusive murals on private property in response to the Florida Department on Transportation’s ban on asphalt art.
The Love Thy Neighbor Project was launched by ArtFluent Creatives, founded by LGBTQ+ ally and artist Michelle Sasha in 2023. The agency connects creators with “meaningful projects that align with their style and vision.”
The new project is an extension of that work. It launched after FDOT denied the City of St. Petersburg’s request to save five street installations, including its Progressive Pride and Black History Matters murals, and state officials removed the crosswalk at Pulse in Orlando.
“These murals carried more than paint — they carried a message of hope and belonging,” Sasha announced Aug. 27. “For many, seeing those colors felt like a quiet embrace from their community: ‘You are seen. You matter. You belong here.’
“I don’t want that message to disappear,” she continued. “That’s why my team and I are painting free murals — small but powerful stripes of inclusivity — on driveways, mailboxes, and garage trims. These murals will live on private property, where they cannot be erased.”
The murals are provided at no cost and will be installed in Pinellas County, the project’s starting point, and Sasha says around 60 requests came in right away. Interested parties can currently request murals on the project’s website, where donations are also accepted.
“If we get 100 requests we could get them done in about a month — but I think it will be a higher number than that,” Sasha notes. “I’m going to keep doing this as long as there’s artist support and as long as there’s a need for it.”
A dozen of Sasha’s peers have already volunteered to help, local artists who believe in the project’s mission to spread love, visibility and belonging through art. St. Petersburg’s Jazzy Erickson is among them.
“As soon as I heard about the project, I knew I had to be involved,” she says. “Watching the murals in Florida become in jeopardy, I couldn’t help but feel that representation was starting to fade.
“St. Petersburg has always felt like a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community — with its vibrant Grand Central, Pride events and welcoming spirit, which inspired me to step in and contribute,” the LGBTQ+ artist says. “I want my art to have meaning … I want it to matter.”
Sasha hopes the Love Thy Neighbor project can expand to nearby counties and potentially beyond Tampa Bay. She says she’s ready to assist artists across the state who may want to follow ArtFluent’s example.
“This initiative is not about politics or division. It’s about leading with love — using art as a bridge to create understanding, compassion and community,” Sasha notes. “It’s all an act of love, protection and care for our neighbors and the people around us.”
“This movement is about bringing us together — about strengthening community at a time when so much in the U.S. seems designed to pull us apart,” Erickson adds. “Creating these murals is a way to bring light back into our shared spaces, to spark joy, love and acceptance. Because at the heart of it all, we each deserve a place where we feel loved, seen and heard.”
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For more information about the Love Thy Neighbor Project, to request a mural or make a donation, visit ArtFluentCreatives.com/Love-Thy-Neighbor-Project.
