The "United" Front: Painting Over the Great Florida Erasure

by Emily McLaughlin

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has lately taken up a new, taxpayer-funded hobby: artistic censorship. Across the state, murals celebrating racial justice and LGBTQ+ identities are being scrubbed, buffed, and "grayed out" from the very pavement they once humanized. For St. Petersburg artist John Gascot, watching the state’s rollers go to work wasn’t just a disappointment—it was a flashback.

In 2016, following the sting of a neighbor’s hate mail over the 2016 election, Gascot’s first instinct wasn't to retreat; it was to build a "mastermind" of color.

“My instant thought was like, ‘well, screw this person then, they’re going to have to look at my rainbow house,’” Gascot said.

What began as a middle finger to a localized "Karen" blossomed into a community movement. Neighbors didn't just watch; they showed up with their kids, transforming a moment of vitriol into a foundation for Diversity Arts. Since its founding in 2016, the nonprofit has served as a sanctuary for hundreds of young people, teaching them that self-expression is the ultimate antidote to the pressure to "shrink" in the face of hate.

But now, the stakes have moved from the neighbor’s fence to the state capitol. As public art tied to marginalized communities faces state-sanctioned removal, Gascot is responding the only way he knows how: by buying more paint.

On the exterior of his Pinellas Park studio—co-owned with Lori Elmer—the mural “United” now screams across the building in a defiant riot of color. Each letter is a curated ecosystem, designed by a different artist representing a specific racial, cultural, or identity background. In a climate where representation feels like a legal liability, Gascot made it a permanent fixture.

Rather than waiting for a permission slip that was never going to come, Gascot organized.

The timeline was a sprint: planning began January 30, brushes hit the wall on the 31st, and by February 7, the transformation was complete. Notably, not a dime of government funding was involved. The project was fueled entirely by private donations.

“A lot of people think we just show up and paint, but there’s prep, there’s fundraising, there’s equipment rental… all of this was from private donations,” Gascot said.

The process was a testament to "grit over gray." More than 100 community members joined six professional artists, The Artist Jones, Miss Crit (Laura Spencer), James Eric Hartzell, Alyssa Marie, and Zulu Painter (James Kitchens), braving record-breaking Florida cold to lay down backgrounds and support the vision. Parents bundled their children in heavy jackets; volunteers stayed for hours. The turnout, Gascot noted, would have been even larger if the mercury hadn't plummeted.

Since the final stroke on “United,” the phone hasn't stopped ringing. Other organizations and city leaders are looking for the same blueprint, hoping to expand the concept into a statewide movement. Gascot’s only "fine print" for these replicas? The artists involved must reflect the diverse backgrounds they are painting for.

“The United mural project doesn't have to end here in Pinellas Park,” Gascot said. “It can grow and become a whole thing.”

To Gascot, this isn't just "street art"—it’s a counter-offensive against a broader effort to silence marginalized voices through the steady erosion of DEI programs, education, and public visibility. He is particularly vocal about the silence coming from the local dais.

“I was very disappointed in our mayor for just letting it happen without a fight,” Gascot said, referring to the removal of regional murals. “I thought he should have fought to show communities that he stood by them and the importance of these landmarks and what they mean to the community.”

“They're trying to silence us by erasing these murals, by taking away DEI, by cutting education, or what they teach in schools, because they’re trying to disarm the youth,” Gascot continued. “We can't let that happen, because you can't stop progress.”

In Gascot’s world, the "United" mural is a reminder that art isn't a passive decoration—it's a workshop where communities build their own future.

“Progress only stops if we let it die out,” Gascot said. “The world continues to become more and more diverse as people are open about their authentic selves, and [they] can't put all that back in a bottle the way they're trying to do.”

Ultimately, Gascot frames the current social climate as a matter of survival. This isn't a debate over tax brackets or zoning laws; it's a fight for the right to exist in full color. By providing joy and a creative outlet, Gascot is giving the community the one thing the state's gray paint can't cover: a reason to keep showing up.

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