Each year, the Fourth of July means millions of flags, hung from houses and adorning the tops of flag poles, will be fluttering in the breeze. But this Fourth of July, one veteran who once wore the flag on his uniform sleeve will face foreclosure for trying to display an American flag in front of his home.
Larry Murphree of Sweetwater, Fla., has been in a lengthy fight with his homeowner’s association. Murphree wanted to display an American flag in a flower pot in front of his house, but his HOA objected, citing rules that prohibited such flag displays. After a lengthy back-and-forth, the HOA informed Murphree he would face steep fines should he refuse to remove the Stars and Stripes. The HOA started levying fines in 2013, and Murphree won’t pay or take his flag down.
Now, Murphree says the HOA has leveled $8,000 in fines against him, and if he doesn’t pay up, the HOA could seek to foreclose his condo. The shenanigans going on in the Sunshine State remind one of the “Del Boca Vista” condo complex in Seinfeld, where retirees drunk with power seek to throw their weight around over silly disagreements. Threatening a veteran with eviction and foreclosure over one small flag is one huge overreaction.
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