Vandalism Continues on DeLand’s Butterfly Mural

DELAND, Fla. – Someone in DeLand has a serious issue with butterflies — specifically, painted ones.

One of the city’s famous murals, located on State Route 44, has been vandalized not just once, but five times in the last month.

The mural, honoring DeLand as the first city in Florida recognized as a Monarch City, is now marred by paint splatters. Artist Courtney Canova mentioned that restoring the artwork is a costly affair, amounting to several hundred dollars and requiring weeks of effort.

“We came out and cleaned it up already, and then it got really splattered,” Canova said.

This is a disappointing sight for Canova, who recently shared a video of his first attempt to redo the mural after it was vandalized in May.

“It’s not like graffiti going over graffiti. It’s official city art,” he added.

This mural, situated in a public parking area on New York Avenue, was created in 2019 following DeLand’s designation as Florida’s First Monarch City USA. Canova is puzzled about why, among the city’s many murals, this particular one continues to be targeted by vandals.

“The hand-painted murals, they’ll tag around the sides of it, but nobody ever just throws paint on it, and it’s just this one,” Canova explained.

Regrettably, nearby businesses lack surveillance cameras, complicating police efforts to investigate. Nevertheless, alternative technology has been employed to closely monitor the site, aiming to prevent further vandalism.

“It’s a cowardly act, but it’s also criminal, so we’re going to find these people and hold them accountable,” said city spokesperson Chris Graham.

As for repainting the mural, Canova plans to get started in the coming days.