However, this flag is not an American flag. flag, though it still allows for reasonable restrictions on size and placement. The only federal law at issue is the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005, which prohibits property managers and HOAs from banning homeowners (not renters) from displaying the U.S.
#SUN GAY FLAG MEANING FREE#
In this case, does the homeowner have a leg to stand on? Is the HOA in the wrong? Look to Legislation When When Enforcing HOA Flag Rulesįirst, look to federal, state, and local statutes, which will generally override anything in the bylaws or CC&Rs when it comes to free speech issues. So let's come back to the "Blue Lives Matter" flag. Other times, it's the association whose behavior is questionable. On the other side of the coin, in 2011, a Florida homeowners association's property manager asked a former NYPD officer that he couldn't fly a flag commemorating the victims of September 11th because it disrupted the "aesthetic harmony of the surrounding properties." At the time, the man was undergoing cancer treatments for his exposure to hazardous dust at Ground Zero.Ĭlearly, when it comes to HOA flag rules, it's sometimes the residents who are being unreasonable. The apartment complex manager reports that the flag was simply too large. flag is displayed at each of the community's entrances. For example, a Texas man told media that his property manager said that American flag he was displaying on his balcony was a threat to the local Muslim community and directed him to take it down. This isn't the first time that HOA flag rules have come up for debate. The news channel reports that they did find other types of flags displayed in the development, however. The management company told news media that they only allow residents to display U.S. When the resident called the management company to ask why her flag was a problem, they told her that they had received a complaint that the "Blue Lives Matter" flag was offensive. John's County, Florida flew the "Blue Lives Matter" flag in front of her home, the HOA's property management company sent her a letter directing her to take it down immediately upon receipt. The flag is a derivative of the "Thin Blue Line" flag, which originated in the U.K., and which has been a common sight on bumper stickers of cars belonging to police officers and their families for a number of years. In this case, the homeowner was displaying a "Blue Lives Matter" flag-a grayscale U.S. A Florida homeowners association is caught up in a dispute with a homeowner over the display of a flag.