JACKSONVILLE, FL (RNN) - Air Force veteran Larrry Murphree said he's had to sell his home at a loss after a dispute with a homeowners association over an American flag.
The legal dispute over the flag has gone on for seven years.
He placed a small flag in a flower pot on the front porch of his condo, First Coast News reported. In response, The Tides Condominium HOA sent him a violation letter, saying the flag was an "unauthorized object."
Murphree decided to fight the group on it, and they assessed tons of fines against his property - $100 a day for the violation.
He filed suit but came to an agreement with the HOA that the flag can be displayed.
Murphree said the HOA then turned around and changed the ordinance to a flower pot ordinance, prohibiting display of the flag inside the flower pot and charging him fees again.
The HOA said he can fly a flag in a flag pole but not in a flower pot, News4Jax reported.
In 2014, the HOA placed a lien on Murphree's property, claiming he hadn't paid his dues when he said he had.
It turns out the homeowners association was using the money that they were withdrawing to pay the fees for displaying the flag in the flower pot, leaving his dues unpaid and allowing them to place a lien on the property for unpaid HOA dues, he told First Coast News.
Murphree also claimed the HOA started harassing him, charging him fees for infractions like not parking in his driveway straight enough.
Though he decided to move to stop the property from being foreclosed on, the legal battle continues, with a his most recent lawsuit going to trial next year, First Coast News said.
Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
