Wow fined for Flying the Stars and Stripes in the US of A!!! this should be good!
It seems Donald Trump's latest display of patriotism may be too much for this chic oceanside town.
Trump has been cited by Palm Beach officials for hoisting a large American flag atop an 80-foot (24-meter) pole outside his lavish Mar-a-Lago estate and club.
Town officials said the real estate mogul has violated zoning codes by putting up a flagpole taller than 42 feet (12.6 meters), for not obtaining a building permit, and for failing to get permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has until Nov. 27 to apply for the necessary approvals or face a Dec. 21 code enforcement hearing that could result in $250 (€200)-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."
Trump said it is too soon to comment on how he will respond to the threat of fines.
Lee Hanley, vice chairman of the town's landmarks commission, previously said the 15-by-25-foot (4.5-by-7.5-meter) 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 appeared outside the Mar-a-Lago estate on Oct. 3.
PALM BEACH, Florida It seems Donald Trump's latest display of patriotism may be too much for this chic oceanside town.
Trump has been cited by Palm Beach officials for hoisting a large American flag atop an 80-foot (24-meter) pole outside his lavish Mar-a-Lago estate and club.
Town officials said the real estate mogul has violated zoning codes by putting up a flagpole taller than 42 feet (12.6 meters), for not obtaining a building permit, and for failing to get permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has until Nov. 27 to apply for the necessary approvals or face a Dec. 21 code enforcement hearing that could result in $250 (€200)-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."
Trump said it is too soon to comment on how he will respond to the threat of fines.
Lee Hanley, vice chairman of the town's landmarks commission, previously said the 15-by-25-foot (4.5-by-7.5-meter) 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 appeared outside the Mar-a-Lago estate on Oct. 3
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/...ag_Dispute.php
Story Highlights
• Officials in Palm Beach, Florida, vote to fine Donald Trump $1,250 a day
• Trump fined over flying flag on 80-foot pole at Mar-a-Lago
• Trump filed $25 million lawsuit against city, refused to take down flag
• He says city officials "should be ashamed"
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WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Officials in the ritzy coastal town of Palm Beach have voted to fine Donald Trump $1,250 a day for flying a large American flag atop an 80-foot flagpole at his lavish club in violation of town codes.
Code enforcement officials have accused the 60-year-old real-estate mogul of violating zoning guidelines with a flagpole taller than 42 feet, for not obtaining a building permit, and for not getting permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has refused to take down the flag. He has also filed a $25 million lawsuit against the town arguing, in part, that officials are selectively enforcing ordinances and that flying the American flag at his Mar-A-Lago club is a constitutionally protected expression of free speech.
"The town council of Palm Beach should be ashamed of itself," Trump said Thursday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "They're fining me for putting up the American flag. This is probably a first in United States history."
Trump's club hoisted the 15-by-25-foot flag atop the 80-foot pole at the sprawling waterfront site on October 3. The town had given him until November 27 to remove the flag or apply for approvals.
"I think Mr. Trump, the property owner, picked this fight. I think he's been provocative," said Martin Fried, a member of the town's Code Enforcement Board.
Officials voted Thursday to fine Trump.
Trump said he wouldn't pay any fines and would keep the flag flying.
"It's all up in the court," he said. "It'll be a long time, unfortunately."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/19/tru...ref=rss_latest