Check the availability of your selected signal box using the City of Clearwater's signal box map. All eligible boxes are listed on the map in yellow. Please note that, at this time, signal boxes on county roads are not eligible for this program and are not included on the map.
Collaborate with your neighborhood on an idea or theme for your signal box that will be meaningful to your community. Consider the name of your neighborhood, its history and the various cultures that influence it. Select a theme that speaks to your neighborhood identity and will serve as a source of neighborhood pride.
Select an artist to design the art for your signal box, using the theme and ideas generated by your neighborhood. Ask your neighbors whether there are any artists in the area. You may even find that one of your neighbors is an artist! Alternatively, contact the City’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Manager at (727) 444-7569 for help finding a local artist. In lieu of hiring an artist, it is also possible to work with your installation company to design graphics for your signal box. Artists or designers should provide the design in a JPEG or TIFF format at 150 DPI as well as a signed letter granting permission to use and replicate the artwork produced. Signal box art can not include advertisements, pornographic images, words, anything overtly political or anything which imitates traffic signage. If your signal box art has been sponsored by a business, non-profit or community group, you may include a small notice near the bottom of the signal box. See image below for example.
When the right materials are selected, these signal box murals can last between seven and eight years, so make sure you seek out input from your neighborhood and get a letter of support from your neighborhood association, if applicable. If you’re not sure whether your neighborhood has an association, use the city of Clearwater’s neighborhood association map.
Select a vendor who can measure your signal box, print your design on a high-grade, laminated vinyl with UV protection, like 3M or Orajet Wrap, and install the wrapper. Please consider working with the city’s pre-approved vendors (below). Different vendors can offer different prices so be sure to get quotes from several businesses. If your selected vendor is not on the pre-approved vendor list, email neighborhoods@myclearwater.com as vendors must be vetted to ensure a high-quality finished product.
Submit an online application here to install a mural at your selected signal box or fill out an application in person at the Planning and Development Department at the Municipal Services Building, 100 South Myrtle Ave., between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Please include a copy of your design, the company you intend to work with and a letter of support from your neighborhood association (if applicable). If granted permission, the city has the absolute right to change, modify, destroy, relocate, move, replace, transport, repair or restore the artwork on the signal boxes.
Ensure that the date of vinyl installation is coordinated with Ted Mellis, the city’s traffic operations supervisor, at (727) 562-4952 ext. 7252.
Proceed with professional installation! Signal box wrap shall not interfere with the ability to open the cabinet and access signal box controls. Doors, vents, and key flaps must remain functional. Please note that all warning labels must be visible after installation except for the larger “no digging warning” which may be covered. Installers typically cut the wrap carefully to expose the warning labels. If you or your vendor have questions about which warning labels need to be visible, contact Ted Mellis, the city’s traffic operations supervisor, at (727) 562-4952 ext. 7252. Following installation, please submit photos of your project to the Neighborhoods Coordinator.
Consider hosting an unveiling party or ribbon cutting to celebrate the new mural.