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Donald's Flag Flap Starts Costing

Fri., Jan. 19, 2007 12:42 PM PST by Gina Serpe

It's time Donald Trump learned: bigger isn't always better.

The real-estate mogul's love for all things superlative finally caught up to him Thursday as city officials in Palm Beach voted to fine Trump $1,250 per day for having hoisted an American flag of code-violating proportions on his Mar-a-Lago estate.

The fee will be retroactive to Jan. 6. The town's Code Enforcement Board previously gave Trump until Nov. 27 to either apply for the proper flag-waving permits, remove the flag altogether or face the hefty fine—as it is, his current tab with the waterside town is a robust $17,500 and counting.

"I think Mr. Trump, the property owner, picked this fight," board member Martin Fried told the Orlando Sentinel. "I think he's been very provocative."

Trump, provocative? Seems so out of character.

As it is, the Apprentice star has refused to either remove the flag or pay the fine after being deemed a "serial violator" of the town's ordinances.

The patriotic flap first kicked off in October, when Trump raised an oversize flag atop an oversize pole, both of which violated the town's zoning codes. The property's flagpole, topping out at 80 feet, is nearly double the maximum acceptable height of 42 feet. The flag, too, measures in at a massive 25 by 50 feet, grossly exceeding the town's allowable 4-by-6-foot dimensions.

Trump was cited in November with violating five town ordinances. In addition to violating the zoning codes, he failed to obtain a permit for the pole or permission from the landmarks board to raise the flag, violated setback restrictions and violated Mar-a-Lago's declaration-of-use agreement with the town.

Never one to shy away from a fight, Trump last month filed a $25 million lawsuit against Palm Beach, claiming the law violated his right to "free speech and expression" and that the town had singled him out while allowing more than 20 other violating properties to oversize flag-wave in peace.

Veronica Close, the Palm Beach's planning, zoning and building director, told the Palm Beach Post that they had begun enforcing the laws with Trump due to "limited manpower" and that they would "address other violators as we have time."

"If we waited until everyone in town was cited for every similar violation, we'd never get any cases to the board."

As for Trump, he spoke out about the conflict while promoting his View feud—er, TV show—on Fox News last month.

"I put up the American flag, and the town of Palm Beach wants me to rip down the American flag," he told Greta Van Susteren. "They want me to take it down because they say I put it up without permits. And I'm saying, you don't need permits to put up the American flag."

Trump also denied the accusation that his flag was oversize, saying that at 1,250 square feet, it's "not really large, it's just a proper proportion for the property."

"Everybody loves it. The town wants it ripped down...It's a disgrace. It's a desecration. And it really is very sad for the country, and especially nowadays."

Trump said that he will take no action on the situation until a resolution is had in court. Should he win his $25 million lawsuit against the town, he said the money would all be donated to U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq.