St. Pete to Celebrate Best of the Bay Award With Mural Honoring City Leaders
St. Petersburg has officially been named Best City in the Bay in Creative Loafing’s annual Best of the Bay awards, prompting city officials to announce plans for a massive mural honoring Mayor Ken Welch and the City Council on the exterior of The Central parking garage across from Ferg’s.
Welch accepted the award Wednesday evening, crediting the city’s developers, consultants, major investors, and political donors for helping make St. Pete a special place to live.
The mayor also acknowledged the extraordinary contributions of his administration and the City Council.
“When you consider everything we’ve accomplished together, from our response to hurricanes to our handling of the Rays situation, I think it’s clear why we deserve this recognition,” Welch said. “We’ve faced some tremendous challenges, and I think the results speak for themselves.”
To commemorate the achievement, the city plans to transform the enormous concrete exterior of The Central parking garage into a colorful tribute titled “The St. Petersburg Super Squad,” depicting Welch and all eight council members as larger-than-life superheroes.
According to city representatives, preliminary designs had already been commissioned in anticipation of the award, with officials confident of a St. Pete victory. The Vitale Brothers are reportedly being considered to bring the design to life.
“We didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but we were fairly confident,” said municipal affairs consultant Graham Whitmore. “When you’ve accomplished as much as this administration has, it’s important to make sure people remember who was responsible.”
Officials say the project will demonstrate the city’s continued commitment to supporting local artists while providing residents with a permanent reminder of the leadership responsible for making St. Petersburg what it is.
The city hopes the mural will also help transform the parking garage, which has faced criticism over its appearance and design, into a beloved downtown landmark.
“People have been asking us to do something about that garage for months,” Whitmore added. “We believe this addresses those concerns.”
