RV retailer Camping World defies order by California officials to take down giant American flag

A major recreational vehicle retailer was ordered to take down a giant American flag. However, the RV retailer has defied the order mandated by officials in California.

Camping World RV Sales is located in French Camp, California — about 80 miles east of San Francisco. The RV retailer had flown a giant American flag above its dealership until April when county officials ordered it to be taken down over concerns over the flagpole.

The Camping World CEO declared that the American flag would stay up — no matter what the county says.

San Joaquin County officials told KTLX that there were concerns regarding the flag pole's foundation and the pole's proximity to property lines and Interstate 5, should the pole collapse.

“Camping World’s flagpole was installed with neither a building permit nor planning approval, therefore they are in conversation with the code enforcement division," the county said in a statement to the outlet.

On Monday, Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis ordered the dealership to restore the American flag to the top of the pole. Lemonis said Camping World's flagpole is installed securely and "rooted deeply in the ground."

Lemonis noted that there are "hundreds" of Camping World locations with giant American flags, and there are no issues.

"If we felt like we were putting people in danger or causing any issues with air traffic, which would absolutely not be okay, then I wouldn’t do it," Lemonis told KTLX.

"It's symbolism about 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," Lemonis added.

He declared, "I happen to be an immigrant. I was given the blessing of being able to enter this country and become a citizen, and I'm grateful for it. It's been part of my life since I was a little child down in Miami, Florida, where we had the largest flag pole in Miami at our car dealership."

Lemonis conceded that he may have kept a flag down if it was used for marketing purposes while ironing out the permit issue with the county. The Camping World CEO declared that the American flag would stay up — no matter what the county says.

San Joaquin County officials said Camping World has applied for a building permit for the flagpole and the application is under review.

This is not the first time that Camping World has faced government scrutiny for flying a massive American flag.

In May 2019, the American flag was declared to be too large at the Camping World location in Statesville, North Carolina — roughly 40 miles north of Charlotte.

Camping World defied the order by Statesville officials to take down the flag. The business was fined $50 a day for the flag violation.

Lemonis told Fox Business at the time, "We have flown this flag for a long time. As I told the city ... it’s not coming down under any circumstance."

Attorneys for Lemonis declared in a filing that the huge American flag "represents the fundamental values — freedom, courage, and equality before the law — that unite all Americans and transcend party politics. ... In keeping with this tradition, The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that the act of flying the flag is a form of political expression protected by the First Amendment."

Attorneys for Statesville cited a North Carolina state law that declares there can be size restrictions on flags "for the purpose of protecting the public health, safety, and welfare."

In a settlement with the city, Camping World was allowed to keep the American flag up, but had to pay more than $14,000 in fines for originally breaking the town's ordinance, plus pay an additional $2,000 in legal costs.

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