ACLU sues Clearwater on free speech grounds listen

Tags: Clearwater, ACLU, free speech

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the city of Clearwater today on behalf of a local bait-and-tackle shop that has been engaged in a tussle with the city regarding a mural of game fish and a marine lift on the side of its building.

The shop, known as the Complete Angler, is on Harrison Avenue in Clearwater. After buying the store a couple of years ago, owners Heriberto and Lorraine Quinero, commissioned local artist Matt Evanson to paint a mural on the side of their store.

That’s when the city’s Legal Department intervened.

Clearwater code enforcement officials say they’re simply enforcing Clearwater’s strict sign ordinance, which forbids murals on the outside walls of a business that depict a product that a business is selling.