PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It started with a graffiti gator on the side of a Palm Harbor creek.
- Pinellas County mural project aims to reduce vandalism
- Mural located at intersection of Tampa Rd & McMullen Booth Rd
“We got a little hassle by the police about it, but it was kind of innocent and it’s kind of nice to come back and do something more official,” said artist Stephen Palladino.
That gator is now inspiration for Tampa Bay’s newest masterpiece, ‘Be Right Back,’ which was unveiled Saturday in a ceremony put on by the County and the arts agency Creative Pinellas.
The point, ironically enough, is to reduce vandalism on public infrastructure.
“[It offers] something that kind of lightens up the day, or for people commuting to work, something fun to look at,” said Palladino, who was chosen as the local artist to paint the mural.
It’s located at the intersection of Tampa Road and McMullen Booth Road in Pinellas County.
Blink, and you could miss it, but trust me, this is something you don’t want to miss.
“Of course gallery art is wonderful, but this is much more accessible and affects people as they go through their daily lives,” said Danny Olda with Creative Pinellas.
The new mural aims to not only brighten up people’s drives, but also one of the newest sections of the Pinellas Trail Extension, too.
“The idea of motion and people and community and traveling, I kind of was trying to envision a busy trail way type thing,” said Palladino.
We are told this will hopefully be the first of many similar projects in the future.