(COLDWATER) - Camping World is once again clashing with local officials over its signature giant American flags -- this time in Coldwater.
The city recently issued a violation notice to the Camping World store in the Willowbrook Village Shopping Center, saying the oversized flag on display exceeds local ordinance limits and was installed without the required permit. The dispute is the latest in a string of similar standoffs between the company and municipalities across the country. At the center of these battles is the tension between zoning rules -- which set maximum flag and flagpole sizes for safety and design purposes -- and Camping World's insistence that flying its massive flag is a patriotic expression that should not be restricted. CEO Marcus Lemonis has remained adamant in past cases, repeatedly declaring, "The flag is never coming down," despite fines and threats of legal action. The company argues that such ordinances amount to government overreach and has fought similar fights in places like Greenville, North Carolina, and Sevierville, Tennessee. In North Carolina, one showdown even prompted a statewide law preventing local governments from regulating the size of American flags on private property, ultimately leading officials to drop a lawsuit and accumulated penalties against the company. Coldwater officials are now waiting for Camping World to respond to the violation notice as the latest chapter in the long-running flag fight unfolds.