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Downtown mural with 'thin blue line' motif spurs heated public comment; commission asks staff to agendize appeal
Summary
Artist Scott Price asked the DeLand City Commission to override a mural committee decision that rejected a city‑sponsored mural containing a thin blue line flag. The mural art committee deemed the blue‑line motif a political statement and conditioned approval on replacing it with an American flag; commissioners directed staff to bring the matter back for further discussion or an agendized conversation.
A dispute over a proposed downtown mural escalated into a broad public exchange on Oct. 20 when artist Scott Price asked the commission to intervene after the mural art committee and advisory board declined to approve a city application for a mural that included a thin blue line flag.
Price said staff and a prior commission direction produced a design he and the historic board had accepted and that the mural committee’s objection to the blue‑line motif came as a surprise. "This artist... we might think, like, 15 or 20 renderings that were presented... We came up with a good product," Price said during petitions and requests.
City planning staff explained the mural art committee’s members considered the thin blue line to convey a political message and said they would approve the artwork if the flag were changed to a standard American flag. Because the city was the applicant in this case, staff said it could not accept a contingent approval that depended on the private building owner later agreeing to post a different flag, prompting the committee to withhold an approval at that meeting. Staff characterized the committee’s action as an effort to keep the public mural program nonpolitical.
Commissioners and several members of the public reacted to both sides. One commissioner said she could not see anything wrong with the proposed image and disliked that the flag element was an issue; another commissioner cautioned that the mural committee was established to review fine details like flags and badges and that a permanent public mural should avoid unintended controversy. The commission ultimately indicated a majority wanted the topic brought back for discussion; the city attorney clarified the matter would not be a formal appeal in the strict sense but could be agendized for direction and conversation.
The exchange reflected a broader pattern in many municipalities: local arts programs aim to remain nonpartisan while balancing free‑expression concerns and community sentiment. Price asked staff to notify him when the item is agendized; commissioners said they would return the item to a future meeting so the commission could provide direction to staff and the mural art program.
