Creating a survey of Tampa Bay’s murals is no easy task. There are more than 100 of them in St. Petersburg alone.—and they’re more than just pretty pieces of art. Tampa Bay’s murals tell our region’s history, show our character, memorialize our people and their accomplishments, revitalize neighborhoods, welcome visitors, provide selfie opportunities, and send positive messages out into the world. Here are some of the area’s best—and the stories behind them.

100 Years Before J. Cole tells the history of the Pinellas Trail in Downtown Clearwater 620 Drew St., Clearwater You’ll find Tony Krol and Michelle Sawyer’s “100 Years Before J. Cole” alongside the Pinellas Trail, near where Drew Street intersects with North Garden Avenue. The mural tells the history of the Pinellas Trail, once Peter Demen’s short-lived Orange Belt Railway. The Orange Belt provided a path for trains delivering Florida citrus, vegetables and passengers across central Florida before the Great Freeze in 1894-95. It became part of the Plant System in 1895, then Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The train delivered passengers up and down the east coast before Amtrack took over in 1971 and discontinued passenger service to Pinellas County in the early 1980s. Bert Valery and then-County Administrator Fred Marquis launched plans to convert the extinct railway to a bike trail after a car struck and killed Valery’s son while riding his bike down Belleair Causeway in 1983. The first stretch of trail opened in 1990. Nearly 30 years later, in 2018, Krol and Sawyer told the tale in paint. View “100 Years Before J. Cole” through the ARTours Clearwater app and watch that history come to life.Photo by Jennifer Ring
MJ Lindo and Joshua Lawyer’s “After a While” sends a gator walking down Clearwater’s Franklin Street 710 Franklin St., Clearwater MJ Lindo and Joshua Lawyer’s “After a While” is fun to look at when it’s not moving. But view it in augmented reality via ARTours Clearwater app, and suddenly that gator walks and talks.Screenshot of Artours app by Jennifer Ring
DAAS’ “Ikebana” honors Clearwater’s sister city 710 Franklin St., Clearwater Daas’ “Ikebana” is a colorful nod to Clearwater’s sister city—Nagano, Japan. Ikebana is the Japanese art of arranging flowers. And Daas (stylized “DAAS”) did a gorgeous job arranging flowers on the flip side of the building at 710 Franklin St. in downtown Clearwater. View them in augmented reality via ARTours Clearwater app, and the lilies bloom before your eyes.Screenshot of Artours app by Jennifer Ring
Shark Toof provides one of St. Pete’s best selfie opportunities 687 Central Ave. N, St. Petersburg Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Shark Toof created one of St. Petersburg’s most iconic and photographed murals in 2015’s inaugural Shine festival (stylized “SHINE”). Have you really been to St. Pete if you haven’t visited the bright red wall on the side of the old State Theatre (now Floridian Social), stood inside the shark’s mouth, and snapped a selfie?Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Local artists remember Bill ‘Woo’ Correia on Central Avenue’s 600 block 2180 4th St., St. Petersburg Tampa Bay artist and gallery owner Bill “Woo” Correira died at 43 after a five-year battle with brain cancer. But he lives on in the alley behind Central Avenue’s 600 Block, where local artists painted a “Woomorial” to honor their late friend. “The night that he passed away is when myself and Christian Thomas and other awesome local artists went out and started painting his portrait on the side,” Donnelly told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “The whole idea was to honor him like Biggie Smalls in Brooklyn.” Woo was known for his paintings of fish. “We had other artists come out and paint fish and aquatic life around him to try and commemorate his life’s work…” Donnelly told CL. “Last I checked, it was 40-45 different artists who contributed to that wall by painting some sort of fish on there to commemorate Bill in some way.” The mural was a game-changer for Donnelly, who went from painting children’s nurseries, pop art, and pet portraits in 2010-2012 to getting enough mural commissions to become a full-time muralist. “The Woo mural really propelled everything,” Donnelly told CL. “It got a lot of attention, and then I was able to actually have something to take to local businesses and say, ‘Hey look, we can do something like this on your wall.’”Photo via Things That Make You Go Woo/Facebook
For the Love of This City is a love letter to Tampa’s OG neighborhoods 1001 N Florida Ave., Tampa If Seminole Heights had an official mural, it would be Illsol and Michelle Sawyer’s “For the Love of This City” on the side of The Portico in downtown Tampa. All of Tampa’s original neighborhoods are represented in this, now iconic, mural. There’s a rooster for Ybor City, a two-headed alligator for Seminole Heights, and a star and halo for West Tampa around the rooster’s head.Photo by Illsol/Michelle Sawyer
Café Hey mural remembers Tampa Heights’ history 1540 N Franklin St., Tampa Tony Krol fondly remembers the Tampa Heights mural as the first large-scale mural he completed with Michelle Sawyer in 2015. The mural reflects Tampa Heights’ history in the hands of its workers, in its old streetcars, and in the words of Tampa Heights newspaperman William Benton HendersonPhoto via Illsol/Michelle Sawyer
Tes One and Bask encourage Tampa to stay curious 800 N Ashley Dr., Tampa It’s not easy to make a parking garage look good, but Tes One, Bask (stylized “BASK”), and the Vitale Brothers did a bang-up job when they painted downtown Tampa’s Poe parking garage in 2015. It took one month, a team of eight painters and over 175 gallons of paint to complete the Stay Curious murals, of which there are five. Together, they remind visitors to the Tampa Museum of Art and Glazer Children’s Museum to stay curious, dream big, reflect, play, keep learning, and experience the arts in downtown Tampa.Photo via City of Tampa
Photo via Visit Tampa Bay
“Diversity in Democracy” reminds St. Pete to get out and vote 556 Central Ave., St. Petersburg John Gascot doesn’t exactly consider himself a muralist. “I haven’t done that many,” Gascot told CL in a phone interview. “They’re physically demanding, so I pick and choose.” But when the League of Women Voters reached out to Gascot to make a mural encouraging LGBTQ individuals to vote in 2020, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “Diversity in Democracy” features five individuals of varying skin tones and genders next to a selfie station with a speech bubble that reads, “I vote.” “We have such a diverse city that I really wanted everybody to feel connected to [this mural],” says Gascot. “And if you don’t see yourself in that mural, that’s why there’s a spot for you to insert yourself in it and have your picture taken.”Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr Credit: cityofstpete/Flickr
Carl Cowden III’s Tampa Postcard mural welcomes visitors to the City of Tampa 1102 N Florida Ave., Tampa There’s nothing particularly original about a postcard mural, but they’re fun, and that’s probably why the Tampa Bay area has so many of them. In case you ever forget, Cowden’s mural is there to remind you when you are in the City of Tampa. Not surprisingly, the city commissioned this mural. Cowden coupled his experience in sign painting with his love of art nouveau to create this beloved mural highlighting all the best things Tampa has to offer, from Gasparilla to natural beauty to historic streetcars and architecture.
Across the bay, Derek Donnelly welcomes you to St. Pete 330 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg Derek Donnelly was honored to paint Beach Drive’s first mural, which still stands on the side of Smith & Associates’ Beach Drive Real Estate office.
The luxury real estate offices have sponsored several of St. Pete’s best murals, including “Love Shines,” which Ya La’ford painted next to Donnelly’s St. Pete postcard mural in 2021 Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Derek Donnelly shares his ‘Sonshine City Kid’ with the world 226 M.L.K. Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg When Derek Donnelly didn’t get a Shine (stylized “SHINE”) commission in 2022, he hosted a fringe mural festival, giving it the tongue-in-cheek title, Outshine. The festival provided a way for local artists to celebrate Shine season in Tampa Bay even if they weren’t one of the lucky few chosen to paint in that year’s festival. Donnelly, who became a father in 2020, painted a mural of his two-year-old son on the back of Planet Retro based on his popular “768 Days of Sunshine” mural. In “Sonshine City Kid,” Donnelly’s son Syre wears sunglasses reflecting a Florida sunset, just as his niece had in “768 Days of Sunshine.”Photo c/o Derek Donnelly
Flashback to your childhood with 1970s-1990s pop nostalgia in St. Pete’s Edge District 269 16th St. N, St. Petersburg The big red dinosaur at on 16th Street made a lot more sense when the building was a toy store back in 2019, but Cultosaurus the toy store now lives on Central Avenue. Cultosaurus the mural, which features “Ghostbusters,” “Planet of the Apes,” and Mad Magazine imagery, is a tribute to 1970s-1990s pop culture that we hope stands the test of time.Photo via cultosaurus/Facebook
“Time to Think” reminds St. Pete to stay creative 501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg One of Derek Donnelly’s favorite mural projects is his 2014 collaboration with Sebastian Coolidge, “Time to Think.” If you’ve ever approached Florida CraftArt from behind, there’s no missing the giant business person these two created. The two artists were paid hardly anything for this mural. “It was pay for paint. We were just trying to get our names out there,” says Donnelly. In lieu of a big paycheck, the duo did a deep dive and exercised their artistic freedom to develop a fantastic concept for this building. “The idea was to [depict] these businesspeople kicking off their shoes at the end of the day and really honing into their creative spirit,” Donnelly added. In a town like St. Pete, anyone can be creative, and “Time to Think” reminds us of that every time we walk or drive past.Photo by Jennifer Ring
The OG Mize murals: Twiggy and Mr. Sun 648 1st Ave. N, St. Petersburg Two of the first, now iconic, Chad Mize murals sit right next to each other, tucked in a downtown Central Avenue alleyway behind Mize’s first gallery in St. Pete. Mize painted “Starry Eyed,” a minimalist tribute to British fashion icon Twiggy, behind Blue Lucy with Phillip Clark and Nikolas Kekllas in 2014. Later that year, Mize revived Griffin Advertisting’s 1940s Mr. Sun character and painted its updated image (with Nikolas Kekllas) against an electric blue background. Mr. Sun’s iconic bright yellow smiling face has since traveled all over St. Pete—into private residences, Cycle Brewing, the cover of Tampa Bay Business Journal, and everywhere in between via the SunRunner. The official city mascot may be the brown pelican, but Mr. Sun is the pelican’s unofficial sidekick.Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Jay Hoff and Chad Mize bring pride, love, and legos to St. Pete 2437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg St. Petersburg artist Jay Hoff is known for making fine art from legos. In 2019, he created his first mural with Chad Mize and area LGBT youth. The Lego-inspired wall features a big red heart surrounded by hands in every color of the Pride flag. Pride and murals are a big part of what makes St. Pete great, and Hoff’s “Pride and Love” brings the two together in St. Pete’s Grand Central District.Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
MacFarlane Park murals pay tribute to West Tampa’s history 1700 N MacDill Ave., Tampa In 2005, the City of Tampa commissioned Tampa artists Edgar Sanchez Cumbas and Guillermo Portieles to paint a mural on West Tampa’s historic MacFarlane Park. “Kaleidoscope: A Heritage of Color,” tells West Tampa’s history through its people. From left to right, Kaleidoscope shows us the people who made Tampa—civil rights activist Robert Saunders, women’s rights activist Luisa Capetillo, Cuban nationalist Jose Marti, West Tampa founder Hugh Macfarlane, and Fernando Figueredo, the first Mayor of West Tampa.Photo via City of Tampa
Cumbas returned to the park in 2022 to restore “Kaleidoscope” and further tell West Tampa’s story through its love of sports. In a second mural, “Measured,” Cumbas and Jay Giroux depict West Tampa boxing legends Fernando “Ferdie” Pacheco, M.D., and Joe “King” Roman on the western facade of the MacFarlane Park racquetball courts. Photo via City Of Tampa
Head to Salcines Park for the other half of West Tampa’s history 1705 N. Howard Ave., Tampa Illsol and Michelle Sawyer dove into West Tampa’s history with members of the community and the West Tampa CRA to select another set of individuals important to West Tampa’s history. Their “Faces of West Tampa” mural, commissioned by the City of Tampa in 2018, features Clara Frye, the nurse who founded West Tampa’s Clara Frye Hospital; Hillsborough County’s first African-American judge, George Edgecomb; West Tampa Department store owners Emiliano Jose and Juanita Salcines; local historian E.J. Salcines; West Tampa athletes; businessmen; activists; sports heroes; and more.Photo c/o City of Tampa
Southeastern Seating’s wall of murals contains work by local legends Cam Parker, Derek Donnelly, Aurailieus Artist, Capco, Zulu Painter, Sebastian Coolidge, and more 903 E 17th Ave., Tampa One can never say how long a mural or a collection of murals will stay in place. But for as long as the murals at Southeastern Seating stand, they’ll tell a story of a generation of Tampa Bay muralists and graffiti artists working together to beautify some of Tampa Bay’s most neglected neighborhoods. A dozen muralists covered the walls of Southeastern seating during 2019’s Tampa Bay Fresh Fest, creating an outdoor gallery of paintings that includes Auraileus Artist’s Bob the Robot, a portrait of Lizzo by Cam Parker, Zulu Painter’s “Listen with your Heart,” and one of Derek Donnelly’s signature sea turtles.Photo by Jennifer Ring
Cam Parker murals commemorate Tampa’s love of music 1703 N Tampa St., Tampa Tampa muralist Cam Parker’s been painting music-inspired tribute murals for years. There’s the gay icons mural inside Southern Nights, the Lady Gaga mural in Tampa Heights, the Lizzo mural Parker completed at Southeastern Seating during the 2019 Tampa Bay Fresh Fest. And now, a huge mural inspired by Beyonce’s Renaissance album. Parker completed the mural in the six days preceding the Renaissance World Tour’s August 2023 stop at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.Photo via Cam Parker/Facebook
’Living Shades’ places the visual arts within Ybor City’s finest attributes and history 2112 N 15th St., Ybor City Hillsborough Community College’s Ybor City campus has been a gathering spot for local artists for many years. It’s a facet of Ybor City’s story that now has a mural to back it up. Edgar Sanchez Cumbas and Jay Giroux’s “Living Shades,” painted on the Ybor City Campus Visual Arts Building in 2021, alludes to what makes Ybor City unique, from its history and vibrant nightlife to its art, architecture, food, and roosters.Photo c/o hccarts/Flickr
NYC graffiti legend Queen Andrea shares her love of downtown 1415 N Ashley Dr., Tampa Tampa muralist Tony Krol invited NYC graffiti legend Queen Andrea to Tampa for the inaugural Tampa Walls in 2022, and she did not disappoint. The self-described letter queen lent her lettering talents to a wall just off I-275 in between Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park and Water Works Park. What once said nothing now says, “We love downtown.”Photo c/o Tony Krol
Cage Brewing is now a gigantic octopus, and we love it 2001 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg Marcolina’s Fine Arts Gallery artists Blake Emory and Guillo Perez III covered Cage Brewing in a giant octopus in August 2023. Part mural-part sculpture, Emory and Perez III’s octopus tentacles extend beyond the brewery walls, reaching the sky.Photo via Marcolina’s Fine Arts Gallery/Facebook
Matt Callahan’s Green Bench Brewing postcard mural is as iconic as St. Pete’s green benches 1133 Baum Ave. N, St. Petersburg Within the beautiful block letters of Green Bench, Callahan somehow managed to paint the entire City of St. Pete: pelicans, gulf, banyan trees, downtown, and all. Drink it in with a cold glass of beer.Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Matt Kress and Audrey Jennifer bring Ray Charles & Tom Brady together in Tampa 1000 N Florida Ave., Tampa Don’t ask us why Ray Charles and Tom Brady share a wall off Florida Avenue in downtown Tampa, but you’ve got to see it. Kress and Jennifer completed the mural in 2021 in advance of Super Bowl LV. The game was historic for several reasons. One, it was the first time a team—our Buccaneers—got to play a Super Bowl game in its home stadium. Second, due to COVID, it was the least-attended Super Bowl in history, with attendance limited to 25,000 fans. Third, Tom Brady became the oldest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at age 43. And fourth, it marked the second Buccaneers Super Bowl victory in history. The first time I saw the mural, I thought perhaps the artists added Tom Brady later, but Kress and Jennifer deliberately painted the two together. In a 2021 Interview with 10 Tampa Bay, Jennifer said, “Tom Brady is a new addition to our area, but he’s somebody certainly to be celebrated and the whole Bucs team making history this weekend. Ray Charles being somebody who is a classic, I think everybody looks up to. I just think people will find unity in it with the sports and music. Those are things that bring everybody together.” So you can ask us why Ray Charles and Tom Brady are on the same mural. Both lived in Tampa at different times, but to artists Kress and Jennifer, they’re symbols of how sports and music bring people together in Tampa. Go Bucs! Hey, hey!Photo via Audrey Jennifer/Facebook
Teamwork makes the mural work 230 1st St. SE, St. Petersburg One of the coolest things about Tampa-based artist Ya La’ford is how much she includes the community in her work. Take her Rowdies mural for example. The Rowdies’ color palette isn’t exactly the best. Sorry Rowdies fans, but bright yellow and neon green? Yuck. La’ford’s addition of black and silver to the mural was a much-needed improvement. But what we like most about this mural is that it includes the footprints of all the Rowdies players.Photo c/o Ya La’ford
Black History Matters 2240 9th Ave. S, St. Petersburg It’s shocking that we need a street mural to tell people that Black history matters in 2023, but judging from Ron DeSantis’ actions, we needed this mural. In the wake of DeSantis’ move to cancel AP African American history, 19 local artists (one for each letter of Black History Matters) took to the streets to affirm that, regardless of one governor’s actions, St. Pete knows that Black history matters. Even the darkest chapters of our lives deserve acknowledgment in our history and art.Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Leo Gomez pays tribute to healthcare workers during the COVID pandemic 701 6th St. S, St. Petersburg There was no real antidote to the fatigue healthcare workers felt during the COVID pandemic, but acknowledgments like Leo Gomez’s 2021 Shine (stylized “SHINE”) mural at Bayfront Health help. Gomez’s “From Our Hearts” is a colorful tribute to how art can bring joy and color into our lives during difficult times.Photo via Shine Mural Festival/Facebook
Tampa Bay contemplates play at North Greenwood Rec Center 900 N Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Clearwater From the moment this pandemic started, Tampa Bay couldn’t wait to get back out and play. Zulu Painter captured that spirit perfectly in his 2021 Valspar-sponsored mural at Clearwater’s North Greenwood Rec Center. Valspar created its Back to Bright initiative in 2020 to give back to Tampa Bay for continuing to host their tournament during the difficult pandemic years. Keeping that positivity in mind, Zulu’s design features a little girl dreaming of all the fun she’ll have once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.Photo by Jennifer Ring
Sebastian Coolidge’s “Solid Gold” is a surrealist masterpiece 1100 block of Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg, across from Green Bench Home to the Dali Museum, St. Pete is a surrealist town. As such, it’s played host to some of the best contemporary surrealists alive and working today. This short list includes muralist Sebastian Coolidge, whose work is both out of this world and solidly grounded in St. Pete. The way he plays with perspective on Tampa Bay’s buildings is a thing of beauty. Coolidge’s aesthetic doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Tampa Bay’s palm trees, pirate legends, sports teams, or beaches, and that’s one of the reasons we love it. In his 2014 storybook mural, “Solid Gold,” Coolidge creates another dimension under a kitchen table.Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Gulfport Garage remembers a Gulfport legend 2731 Beach Blvd. Gulfport Keith Stillwagon left a legacy of Florida-inspired murals throughout Gulfport and beyond when he passed in 2021. Stillwagon was known for his Florida-sunset-inspired color palette and the images of Florida flora and fauna he embedded within his murals. Gulfport photographer Larry Busby is trying to find and document all the murals Stillwagon created for Gulfport residents within their private homes. But for now, Stillwagon’s most accessible public mural remains at Gulfport Garage for all to see.Photo c/o Keith Stillwagon
Steven Spathelf’s oranges dot DunedinIf you’ve ever visited Dunedin, chances are you already know the Steven Spathelf legend. Spathelf is the artist who painted all those oranges on Dunedin businesses and private residences.Photo by Jennifer Ring
What started as a middle-of-the-night secret art project in 2009 became a beloved City symbol. Now Spathelf gets paid to paint his famous oranges on private homes and businesses around Dunedin. Most are tiny clusters—just a few oranges in the corner of a building. But others have made their way into full-on murals, like the vintage citrus poster on the side of Rosie’s Tavern.730 Broadway, DunedinPhoto by Jennifer Ring
In Feb. 2023, Spathelf painted his 1000th orange alongside his postcard murals at Weaver Park. Commissioned by Dunedin residents Donna and Shannon Smith, Spathelf’s been gradually painting the history of Dunedin into a series of postcard murals along the historic Heron House wall that borders Weaver Park. There are now 15 leading up to the orange mural, which tells the story of Spathelf’s oranges and his “Dunedin Through the Years” postcard mural project. 1258 Bayshore Blvd., DunedinPhoto by Jennifer Ring
Anna Hamilton welcomes you and your dog to Dunedin 371 Main St., Dunedin Anna Hamilton’s “Welcome to Dogedin” mural on the side of Skip’s Bar & Grill is a monument to Dunedin’s best friends—the dogs and cats who kept Dunedin residents company through the years. When Hamilton first painted the mural in 2010, it was just a “regular mural” with three dogs and a sign encouraging folks to donate to get their pet’s image added to the mural. More than a decade later, the wall hosts over 1000 Dunedin dogs and cats.Photo by Jennifer Ring
Tes One and Vitale Brothers capture Dunedin’s creative spirit in ‘Make Believe.’ 730 Broadway, Dunedin Dunedin is more than just oranges and dogs. Tes One and Vitale Bros’ “Make Believe” captures Dunedin’s creative spirit in waves of paint at Stirling Commons, home to Stirling Art Studios & Gallery and other art venues.Photo by Jennifer Ring
Zulu paints the town purple 1011 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg St. Pete has a lot of murals on buildings and a lot of murals on streets. But as far as we know, Zulu Painter’s mural for Casa’s Family Justice Center (stylized “CASA”) is the only one in the city that spans two buildings and forms the crosswalk between them. The mural serves as both a beacon of hope and an invitation to those in our community experiencing domestic abuse. There’s a place where you can get help. It’s that bright purple building off First Avenue North in St. Pete.Photo by Jennifer Ring
Michelle Sawyer’s anti-fascist mural tells a story of Ybor City in the 1930s 2015 E 7th Ave., Ybor City Michelle Sawyer’s 2023 mural on the western wall of the Ybor City Development Corporation building reminds us of when 5,000 Ybor City women marched the streets of Ybor City to protest fascist leadership in Spain. You’ll have to read Sarah McNamara’s “Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South” for the full story, but Sawyer’s mural introduces us to the main characters.Photo by Jennifer Ring Credit: Photo by Jennifer Ring
Matt Callahan and Angela Delaplane unite Tampa & St. Pete behind The Lure 661 Central Ave., St. Petersburg “St. Tampasburg” is arguably Matt Callahan’s most famous mural. How he and fellow painter Angela Delaplane used positive and negative space to create Tampa within St. Pete is dizzying. We can’t imagine how long it took for them to plan this mural, which contains a buccaneer, pelican, skull & crossbones, gator, and more within the combined and intertwined letters of Tampa and St. Pete.Photo via Shine Mural Festival/Instagram
New murals revitalize St. Pete’s Lealman neighborhood St. Petersburg Lealman’s Community Redevelopment Agency teamed up with Creative Pinellas in 2021 to rejuvenate St. Pete’s Lealman neighborhood with a series of murals. There are now eight of them—Leo Gomez’s Lealman Landmark + Better Together murals at Lealman Exchange (5175 45th St. N.), Jujmo’s Desert Landscape at Red Mesa Warehouse (4633 28th St. N.), Miss Crit’s Garden Variety at Mother Kombucha (4360 28th St. N.), Cory Robinson’s Welcome to Neri Park (4303 46th Ave. N.), Reid Jenkin’s Tommy Todd mural (5017 Haines Road N.), Hanna Eriksson Patry’s mural at Atelier St Pete (5298 Haines Road N.), and Daniel “R5” Rojas’ mural at Lealman Innovation Academy (4900 28th St. N.).Photo via Lealman Exchange/Facebook
Take the painted passage to Tropicana Field 1320 Central Ave., St. Petersburg One of Tampa Bay’s greatest sports murals isn’t exactly about sports. Not directly, anyway. No one’s playing baseball in Ya La’Ford’s “Sunnel.” La’ford first painted the tunnel leading from Ferg’s Sports Bar to Tropicana Field during the inaugural Shine (stylized “SHINE”) festival in 2015 to look like the sun, sending rays of light blue into the dark tunnel. La’ford gave the tunnel a new look in 2021 after vandals added Nazi symbols to her work. She kept the Ray’s signature blue but took the water for inspiration this time. In “Tidal de Cinco,” La’ford’s geometric blue lines wash over the tunnel like waves in the ocean.Photo via Shine Mural Festival/Facebook
Pep Rally’s Tampa Bay Lightning murals are electric 4304 N Florida Ave., Tampa Pep Rally’s done a lot of murals around town, but they’re most well known for its Sparkman Wharf and Tampa Bay Lightning murals. One of our favorites is their 2018 mural on the side of The Blind Tiger Cafe in Seminole Heights, which caught fire and was reborn as Lab Coffee. Pep Rally’s “Electrostatic” perfectly captures the electric energy one feels inside Amalie Arena when the Lightning play, and it does it without a single puck or hockey player. Photo c/o Pep Rally/Facebook

Jen began her storytelling journey in 2017, writing and taking photographs for Creative Loafing Tampa. Since then, she’s told the story of art in Tampa Bay through more than 200 art reviews, artist profiles,...