FEBRUARY 11, 2025 — Temple Terrace’s effort to create its first official city flag has encountered setbacks, with residents voicing dissatisfaction over the selection process and the proposed design, reports the Tampa Beacon.
As the Floridian city’s centennial approaches, officials are making one last attempt to finalize a flag, though enthusiasm for the initiative appears to be waning.
The initiative began in March 2024 as part of the city’s centennial preparations, with a design contest inviting public submissions. More than 40 entries were received, but none met the selection committee’s expectations.
As a result, marketing director Joel Duarte synthesized elements from multiple submissions into a single design, which was presented to the City Council in December.
The proposed flag featured a green background symbolizing the city’s parks and tree canopy, along with a circular seal that incorporated local landmarks such as the Temple orange, golf course, Hillsborough River, and oak trees.
Despite these elements, the design faced widespread criticism. A public poll on the city’s website saw 68.5% of 384 respondents opposing the flag.
Community members expressed frustration not only with the final design but also with the lack of transparency in the process. Resident Mark Fetterman criticized the city’s communication efforts, stating, “I saw one post on Instagram and one post on Facebook asking for city residents to submit. I didn’t see any other communication after that.”
Public backlash led to Duarte’s resignation, though Mayor Andy Ross clarified that his departure was unrelated to the flag controversy. With the city still lacking an official flag, Ross has now assigned the task to City Council member Eric Kravets.
However, Ross himself appears increasingly disinterested in the project. “I don’t know if we still want to do a flag, or we just want to give up on it. That’s fine, too,” he said during a council meeting, “It’s a flag. We don’t even need a flag. I almost regret bringing the whole idea up. I should have left it alone.”
Kravets is now working with community members to restart the process, with council members advocating for greater transparency.
Council member Alison Fernandez proposed a public vote on multiple designs, rather than a single predetermined selection. “I think we put out a call to the public to send in your flag designs, and you possibly interact with council member Kravets through the process,” she said.
Despite the city’s centennial milestone in May adding pressure to finalize a flag, Ross emphasized that the city would not rush the process. “If it happens, it happens,” he said. “But we won’t force it.”
Image: Tampa Beacon
