Today’s entry: Hello Brian, As I travel the roadways in South Florida, It is easy to spot local businesses flying the flags of foreign countries. Is there an ordinance requiring anyone that flies a flag from another country, also be required to fly the American flag as well?
Bottom Line: You may fly flags for foreign countries or representing certain interests without flying the American flag or Florida’s flag, the rainbow flags are common for example. It’s protected speech under our first amendment. The flag code of the United States applies only when the American flag is present. If the American flag is present the rules are that the American flag must be highest and that other flags may not share the same flag pole.
In Florida, the order of flags if the state flag were present would be the American flag, Florida’s flag, and subsequent flags. There’s no appropriate order for foreign flags aside from displays at the United Nations. To the extent that a local government can regulate flags, it’s simply the size and locations of displays. The most prominent example of this was, ironically, Donald Trump’s battle with Palm Beach regarding the size and height of the American flag on display at Mar-A-Lago that began in 2006 and eventually led to a settlement and change in ordinances for Palm Beach. For those who’ve poked fun at President Trump’s love for the flag, they conveniently forget, or don’t know, that President Trump fought Palm Beach to fly to largest, highest flag possible a decade before he became our president.
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