Group waves flags at busy Cape Coral street corner
American flags by the hundreds fluttered in the breeze Monday, wrapping around the RE/MAX Realty office at Del Prado Boulevard and Veterans Memorial Parkway in an undulating sea of red, white and blue.
Standing before them, a small group of standard-bearers waved more flags at the morning drive-time traffic, cheering each time a horn blared in support for their fairly simple message: the display of the American flag is not a matter for code enforcement in Cape Coral.
“I’m proud to be an American,” said Ed Morningstar, a Vietnam War vet who also lost a son in the line of service. “I served three tours, came home and was treated like crap. I lost my oldest son in ’85 and I am tired of the way America is being treated.”
The flag brouhaha began last week after Jeffrey Verzi, an employee of Family Hardware in the city’s downtown, planted a handful of small American flags in the right of way between the sidewalk and the road and was asked to move them by a city code enforcement officer.
Since then, support for both Verzi and the right to display the flag has rippled through the city with the show of support outside the RE/MAX office Monday only one of the displays of solidarity.
Jay Lagace summed up the view of those lining the roadside succinctly:
“The American flag should not be part of city code enforcement,” he said.
That view was a common theme.
“Because I think it’s important with all the bad news and crime and someone does something good and they get punished for it,” said Terri Piggotti, an agent with RE/MAX who held a larger flag with co-worker Robin Whitt.
She paused to cheer as the group got another horn beep.
“It seems the city has more important things to do,” Whitt added.
City official stressed that the issue is not a flag issue – the city of Cape Coral has no issue with the display of the American flag – but, rather a right-of-way-issue. City codes prohibit the placement of any type of flag, sign or obstruction in the right of way.
“Certainly they (American flags) are allowed on private property, as many as they wish,” said city spokesperson Connie Barron,
She added the city also has no issue with those who have turned out to support of the right to display the flag in honor of veterans and those serving in the military.
“We think it’s great,” she said. “We think it’s great to support the men and women who serve.”
And honoring vets was a key component of both the original flag placement and subsequent “flaggings.”
“I think our veterans and our active-duty personnel are doing a lot more than waving a flag on a corner and I think this is the least we can do for them,” Whitt said to yet another horn blast on Monday.
“They get it, people get it,” said Piggotti as she waved back.
For broker Yoselyn Hollow, who stood with her 10-year-old daughter Mikayla outside of the Del Pado RE/MAX office on Monday, the demonstration was both community minded – and personal. She has a son on active duty in the U.S. Army.
“It’s the right thing to do, the right thing to do,” she said. “We need to show solidarity to our troops and it’s also solidarity for small business.”
Family Hardware, which added 200 small flags to its original six on Monday, placing them from Country Club Boulevard to Coronado, welcomed the support from RE/MAX along with an additional effort on the part of some downtown businesses through the weekend and Monday.
“We’re glad for their support and it’s great to see the community come together for such a good cause – support for our veterans and those on active duty,” said Erik Stang, general manager for Family Hardware on Southeast 47th Terrace.
He said they had no intention of bucking code enforcement and it is their understanding in conversations with the city the original six flags can remain through Veteran’s Day as had been intended when the small display was placed.
“We’re not trying to go to war with the city or anything,” he said. “We just wanted to put the flags out and show support for our veterans.”