State-Mandated Flag Flying and Military Worshipping
June 1, 2016
My homeowners’ association (HOA) covenants say that all outer window coverings (i.e., curtains, shutters, blinds) are to be white or off-white only. The former president of the HOA used to stroll the development every Tuesday morning with clipboard in hand taking note of any deviations from such rules.
An issue recently came up when someone covered an entire window with a U.S. flag and left it there for several months. It’s obviously in violation of the HOA rules but the state government of Florida prohibits homeowners’ associations to make their own rules when it comes to worshipping all things military. The relevant Florida state statute says:
“Any homeowner may display one . . . United States flag or official flag of the state of Florida [or] official flag . . . which represents the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, or a POW-MIA flag, regardless of any covenants, restrictions, bylaws rules or requirements of the [homeowners’] association.” (Emphasis added).
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