Camping World has criticized California authorities after they demanded that the company remove a huge American flag from the front of its store.
The RV store in Stockton, San Joaquin County, like most other outlets, has a huge Old Glory flying around the lot.
However, in April, San Joaquin County Community Development shut down the flag, citing safety concerns and the lack of a permit.
According to Fox40According to the province, there are concerns about the foundation of the flagpole, its location near property boundaries and a nearby highway if the pole were to fall over.
Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World, learned of the dispute and has commissioned the dealer to restore the Star Spangled Banner.
The RV store in Stockton, San Joaquin County, like the vast majority of their other outlets, has a huge Old Glory flying around the lot
However, in April, San Joaquin County Community Development retired the flag, citing safety concerns and lack of permission. An unidentified Camping World store is seen here
Speaking to the newspaper, Lemonis said: “If we felt like we were putting people at risk or causing problems for air traffic, which would absolutely not be okay, then I wouldn’t do it.”
He added that the flag was placed in a sensible and safe manner, taking into account extremely bad weather, and that the flag was planted deep in the ground.
Lemonis said if it was a billboard, he might have it removed permanently, but the American flag remains up, no matter what authorities say.
Lemonis said the Camping World flag was installed sensibly and safely, considering the severe weather. It was also driven deep into the ground.
He said, “It’s symbolic of how we feel about this country. We have a lot of veterans who work for us, and a lot of veterans who shop with us.
‘I happen to be an immigrant. I have been blessed to enter this country and become a citizen, and I am grateful for that.
“It’s been a part of my life since I was a little kid in Miami, Florida, where our car dealership had the tallest flagpole in Miami.”
Lemonis, seen here, said the Camping World flag was installed sensibly and safely, with an eye to severe weather. It was also driven deep into the ground
The province said in a statement: “The Camping World flagpole was placed without a building permit or building permit, so they are in talks with the building code enforcement department.
On Friday, officials reiterated that they never asked Camping World to remove the flag from the property and that the company does not have a permit to do so.
Jennifer Jolley, community development director, told Recordnet: “Our building code supervisor followed their procedure, investigated and determined that the building had been constructed without a building permit.
“A case was filed with Building Code Enforcement and the company was informed that they would need to apply for a building permit for the flagpole.”
Officials reiterated Friday that they never asked Camping World to remove the flag from the property and that the company did not have a permit to do so.
The California Building Code of 2022, adopted by San Joaquin County, requires a building permit for flagpoles taller than 30 feet.
It’s not the first time Lemonis has irked city officials with a similar situation in Statesville, North Carolina, in 2019.
His downtown store, then called Gander RV, had flown a 3,000-square-foot American flag in what the city said was a violation of the ordinance.
Lemonis said at the time that he was prepared to be arrested and sent to jail. He said, “As I’ve told the city… it’s not going to happen under any circumstances.”
Statesville City Attorney Leah Messick filed a motion that if Messick did not comply, he would go to jail.
Then he said, ‘I would never want to break the law or disrespect any court, but in this particular situation I do.
“I understand that if I do not comply with this order, I may be arrested and imprisoned until the flag is lowered.”
The city council later decided to rezone the area around the store so that the flag would continue to comply with the regulations.