BadKarma26
11-01-2006, 03:10 PM
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/LAW/11/01/trump.flag.ap/vert.flag.ap.jpg
PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Donald Trump's display of patriotism is apparently too flamboyant for this chic oceanside town.
Palm Beach officials cited Trump for hoisting a large American flag atop an 80-foot pole at his lavish Mar-a-Lago estate and club.
Town officials said the real estate mogul has violated zoning codes with a flagpole taller than 42 feet and for erecting it without a building permit and permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has until November 27 to apply for approvals or face a December 21 code enforcement hearing that could result in $250-a-day fines.
"You don't need a permit to put up the American flag," Trump said Tuesday. "The day you need a permit to put up the American flag, that will be a sad day for this country."
Lee Hanley, vice chairman of the town's landmarks commission, previously said the 15-by-25-foot flag makes the town look like "we have an Okeechobee car dealer," referring to a strip of auto dealerships along Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Trump responded in a letter last week saying that "anyone who objects should not, in my opinion, hold a public office of any kind -- at least not in this country."
The flag first appeared outside the estate October 3.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press (http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#AP). All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Donald Trump's display of patriotism is apparently too flamboyant for this chic oceanside town.
Palm Beach officials cited Trump for hoisting a large American flag atop an 80-foot pole at his lavish Mar-a-Lago estate and club.
Town officials said the real estate mogul has violated zoning codes with a flagpole taller than 42 feet and for erecting it without a building permit and permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has until November 27 to apply for approvals or face a December 21 code enforcement hearing that could result in $250-a-day fines.
"You don't need a permit to put up the American flag," Trump said Tuesday. "The day you need a permit to put up the American flag, that will be a sad day for this country."
Lee Hanley, vice chairman of the town's landmarks commission, previously said the 15-by-25-foot flag makes the town look like "we have an Okeechobee car dealer," referring to a strip of auto dealerships along Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Trump responded in a letter last week saying that "anyone who objects should not, in my opinion, hold a public office of any kind -- at least not in this country."
The flag first appeared outside the estate October 3.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press (http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#AP). All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.