Sitting proudly atop his scaled steed and sipping a steaming cup of coffee is Gator Boy, the subject of the mural on the Cajun Kitchen’s parking lot wall.

The mural was painted earlier this year by artist Curt Crawshaw, and has captivated many in the community. Cajun Kitchen co-owner Juan Jimenez commissioned the painting as part of his re-branding initiative.

However, Jimenez did not obtain approval before having the mural painted, and has recently been forced to fight to keep it on display.The city contacted Jimenez during the summer to inform him and his co-owner that the mural would have to be painted over unless they applied for the proper permits.