click to enlarge Photo courtesy of Ken Storey

Late last year, The Holy Land Experience, the Christian-based theme park near Mall at Millenia, painted a large wall overlooking their parking lot. The wall is only visible from Holy Land Experience’s property but the wall itself, part of the I-4 Conroy off-ramps, is the property of the Department of Transportation.After the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) lodged a complaint against the mural, the Florida Department of Transportation and Holy Land Experience began discussing possibilities of what to do regarding the illegally painted mural. Several weeks later, discussions between The Holy Land Experience and FDOT resulted in The Holy Land Experience painting over the mural.The mural featured a sunset scene and a nearby concrete Jesus statue was available for a ‘Walking On Water’ photo op.Holy Land Experience hired a licensed contractor with a history of working with FDOT to remove the mural. No details on how the mural was removed or what other aspects were involved with the agreement.Holy Land Experience will likely find a new way to block the massive exit ramp walls. Inside the park they’ve built models and strategically placed walkways so that guests don’t see the wall or interstate while in the park.The children’s area that’s visible from the exit ramp recently updated its offerings with the opening of the Trin-I-Tee Mini Golf 9-hole course earlier this month. The course winds through massive props, such as Noah’s Ark, that are visible from the exit ramp.The area near the wall in question is likely the next major expansion area for the cramped park. The parking lot there hits capacity on a regular basis and the nearby ticketing center often has long lines. Talk of park expansion have been ongoing for years but few specific details have yet to be confirmed.What we do know is those expansion plans won’t be having any murals on the nearby towering walls.