A 73 year-old veteran says he is facing foreclosure because his homeowner’s association does not like a small American flag he has displayed in his yard.
“They just sent me a letter that says I owe them around $8,000 and they put a foreclosure lien on my house,” the homeowner, Larry Murphree, told KFOR.
At issue is the small flag sticking out of a flower pot in the front of his Sweetwater, Fla. home.
According to KFOR, an attorney for the homeowner’s association said that Murphree has 30 days to fork over the money or else they will foreclose on his home.
But Murphree said he has “dug in [his] heels” and will fight the association.
“Well, I feel very strongly about the American flag,” he told Fox News Insider.
“There’s people that are still fighting wars and strapping on guns to protect me and the people I love. Plus it shows the love and respect I have for my country. It’s a small flag but it’s a big thank you,” he said.
Murphree has battled the homeowner’s association before on a similar issue. After he settled out of court with them a couple of years ago, he says they recently changed the rules governing what items can be contained in flower pots.
That has resulted in the association charging him $100 per day for the violation, he told Fox News Insider.
“I want it to go away. It’s such a minor little thing and they keep coming after me,” Murphree said.
But the association’s stance may be in violation of federal law. The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 prohibits real estate management organizations from prohibiting homeowners from displaying the stars and stripes.
An attempt to reach the homeowner’s association was unsuccessful.