JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax has learned the annual tradition to paint the jaguar paws along Bay Street in Downtown will not be happening this football season.
The Jax Chamber said it’s because of a new state policy restricting street art.
The Florida Department of Transportation memo said surface markings, signs, and signals that do not directly contribute to traffic safety or control can lead to distractions. It calls for the removal of road art that is associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images.
“We should be able to express ourselves through our paint,” said Jasmine Rodriguez, a Jaguars fan.
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It is a policy opponents said is meant to target rainbow crosswalks, like those in Jacksonville’s Five Points neighborhood. But in the case of the paws, Republican City Councilman Rory Diamond is hopeful FDOT will give the green light.
“Everybody loves the paws,” said Diamond. “So my hope is that FDOT figures this out for the non-controversial stuff and just says yes soon.”
Fans told Action News Jax the paws need to stay so they can continue to let others know how much they love their team and their city.
“To take that away...just would be taking a lot of things for our children and our families,” said Ledondre Riley.
“Let us put our paw prints on the ground because that’s where they belong,” said Rodriguez.
The mayor’s office sent Action News Jax the following statement:
“Since it’s a chamber activity, we’ll defer to their posture on this as they wait for clarity on the matter.”
Action News Jax reached out to FDOT and asked if this violates the state rule and if those already-painted prints will be covered up. We did not hear back.
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