Posted on 05/29/2007 3:13:02 PM PDT by Fawn
TAMPA - Infantryman Brandon Davis left the Florida Army National Guard with his uniform, a lot of pride in his country, and a band of friends who are more like brothers.
"I have brothers there who are losing their lives every day, you know I spent some time in the Army, it just means a lot to me. It's Memorial Day," Davis said in an interview Monday.
Naturally, he decided to really honor the U.S.A. this Memorial Day. So, the 23-year-old hung a little flag outside his door.
"You know, it's a hand flag," Davis explained. "20 minutes later, the flag is gone. So I'm trying to figure out where my flag went, I go down to the security shack, and the security guard, he has my flag."
"They were very hostile and I tried to approach them in a nice way, but they weren't working with me at all," Davis continued. "They didn't want to give me back my flag."
He said he did get it back, and he put it up again. Later, though, he described what he claims he came home to: the flag tossed to the ground, broken in two. And two fines on his door from Parkcrest Condominiums for hanging the flag out twice.
"I was furious. There's no way to explain it," Davis said. "I don't know what's going on. It's Memorial Day and we're at war, there's just no respect."
Davis said he understood he's not technically allowed to put anything outside his door. He pays $550 each month to the Homeowners Association at the Harbour Island building.
The condo board has specifically ruled against decorations.
But as a soldier on Memorial Day, he's stunned that building bylaw applies to the American flag, too.
"The flag is a very serious thing. People are losing their lives over it," Davis fumed.
Our nation's code of honor dictates certain protocol in disposing of old, dirtied, or broken flags. One should not throw them away in the garbage can. Rather, they are traditionally burned out of respect.
So, Monday night, the Army National Guardsman spent his evening doing just that - burning his broken American flag.
Davis said the Parkcrest building's management office was closed for the Memorial Day holiday, as is customary with most offices.
He, nor FOX 13, could reach them by phone for further explanation from the building about the flag flap.
Florida law prohibits condo and homeowner associations from passing such rules. researching ...
F.S. 718.113 Maintenance; limitation upon improvement; display of flag; hurricane shutters.--
(4) Any unit owner may display one portable, removable United States flag in a respectful way and, on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day, may display in a respectful way portable, removable official flags, not larger than 41/2 feet by 6 feet, that represent the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, regardless of any declaration rules or requirements dealing with flags or decorations.
[emphasis added]
BTTT
The HOA staff requires adjustment!
Jim Pyburn Acting President
Jim Levesque Vice President
Steven Burke Secretary
Walter Finley Treasurer
Eve Pennington Director
Personally, I would find a new place to live. There isnt one SOB in that neighborhood who i wopuld want to live next to. Anyone who does that to an American flag isnt fit for me to live around. they can take their Condo’s and shove them.
What a sorry pack of scum.
Try
Parkcrest Condominiums
700 S. Harbour Island Blvd
Tampa FL 33602
Watch the video at the link ... it pretty much tracks the text story but you get to see our brave Florida soldier tell his story.
Park Crest Condominium Association Board of Directors for 2007:
Neighborhood Service District: North Neighborhood
Property Manager: Tom Scholl, LCAM®
Park Crest Condos Jim Pyburn Acting President
Park Crest Condos Jim Levesque Vice President
Park Crest Condos Steven Burke Secretary
Park Crest Condos Walter Finley Treasurer
Park Crest Condos Eve Pennington Director
There is existing Florida case law having to do with the very subject of displaying the flag in communities governed by homeowners associations. It’s already been tried and tested. The good guys won......you cannot be told to remove a flag in Fla.
Thanks...I’m printing out your statue and mailing it to Dr. Raoul’s posted HOA/condo address. I hope everyone does.....
Thank you.....
IANL and I couldn't locate the penalty clause that goes along with a violation of that statute, but the soldier is certainly entitled to have those association nazi clowns stick those citations where the sun don't shine.
Get a load of this... same complex:
Harbor Island condo board earns its lump of coal
Last Edited: Monday, 18 Dec 2006, 10:39 PM EST
Created: Monday, 18 Dec 2006, 10:39 PM EST
ParkCrest is not exactly looking festive this holiday season. TAMPA - Karen Fernandez is canceling her Christmas plans. She wanted to have the whole family over, but then her condo board banned Christmas decorations.
“I can’t believe they’re taking Christmas from us,” she exclaimed. “We can’t put wreaths on our doors. We can’t put lights out on our balconies.”
She can’t even put a real Christmas tree inside her living room.
Her condo board did let her display a paper snowman, but the board still controls which days she can keep it on her kitchen counter.
“I think it’s crazy. It’s just preposterous,” she continued.
Even a holiday ribbon is a serious violation at ParkCrest Condominiums. The owner was written up for it, and now she’s too scared to talk about it on camera.
“The year before, everyone had their lights out. It was really nice. Now you can’t even tell it’s Christmas,” Karen complained.
In fact, the only outside Christmas decorations you can find are on the flyers that ban the decorations.
Some families say they’re smuggled in Christmas trees anyway and now they’re living in fear behind closed doors.
Others, like Zack Melkonian, say they’re just living like scrooge.
“You can describe it as ‘humbug,’ you know,” he explained. “I’ve just not got the feeling. I’m not getting the Christmas feeling. That’s sad because I’ve got children. And there are just no reminders of what this is all about.”
ParkCrest Condominiums caters to trendy young adults on Tampa’s Harbour Island. They don’t understand why folks can’t spruce it up for the holidays.
“If this is your home, why would you not want to portray and make it a home?” wondered Ashton Krauss.
The condo manager left messages on behalf of FOX 13 with the board members, but they did not call us back.
The manager did say that the board passed these rules for a reason: because Christmas trees are a fire hazard, and they’re dirty. And no one can hang anything on their doors or balconies without permission.
The bottom line is, the board sets the rules.
“Which is something we all want to have — a nice, safe place to live,” Melkonian conceded. “But this board is turning this place into a jail.”
Folks could elect a new board, but that won’t help with this Christmas.
By the way, these rules are nothing new. The Puritans banned Christmas decorations in America for decades.
Christmas trees are a fire hazard, and they’re dirty. And no one can hang anything on their doors or balconies without permission.
The bottom line is, the board sets the rules.
~~~
About face on flag flap
Last Edited: Tuesday, 29 May 2007, 6:54 PM EDT
Created: Tuesday, 29 May 2007, 6:53 PM EDT A man's flag was broken and tossed on the ground. We've got you covered
Flag ripped down at soldier's home
TAMPA - Brandon Davis is a former Army National Guardsman. Naturally, like many Americans, he displayed a flag to honor fallen soldiers on Memorial Day.
"This is America we are at war we should be able to show some respect for the people that are overseas," he said.
But a security guard at ParkCrest Condominiums Harbour Island told him the flag he put up outside his apartment had to go.
"He wouldn't allow me to put the flag back up and he said he was going to contact the police if I put the flag back up and I was going to get fines," Davis said.
After Davis up the flag back up, he came home later to citations that totaled $200. The flag was broken in two.
The association's president is now calling it a misunderstanding. Association rules say there is an exemption: you can display a flag on patriotic holidays. "A holiday such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or Fourth of July those are exempted from hanging anything outside of your unit, " said Jim Pyburn, ParkCrest Harbour Island Association president.
Pyburn maintained the citations were issued because the flag was displayed near a light bulb which is a fire hazard.
"It wasn't touching the light at all there would have been no way there would be a fire hazard," Davis said.
Either way, the association is dropping the citations.
With the Fourth of July just weeks away, ParkCrest management will be sending out notices to residents to show how to safely display a flag and ensure of no future misunderstandings.
YEAH RIGHT.
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