Homeowners association tells Florida man to take down Blue Lives Matter flag

WFLA8 Tampa ^ | 6=25/20

[Impala64ssa]

As a Pasco County Sheriff’s Deputy, Sean Kennedy spent 25-years following the law and enforcing it. Now he’s found himself in a position where he feels he must break the law. More specifically, a by-law for his community association.

Kennedy lives with his wife and children in the Foxwood subdivision in New Port Richey. It’s a deed-restricted community where lawns are neatly mowed and cars are parked in garages.

Over Kennedy’s garage flies a blue lives matter flag, the homeowners association recently told him he had to take it down.

Kennedy lives with his wife and children in the Foxwood subdivision in New Port Richey. It’s a deed-restricted community where lawns are neatly mowed and cars are parked in garages.

Over Kennedy’s garage flies a blue lives matter flag, the homeowners association recently told him he had to take it down.

The flag looks just like an American flag with the exception of black stripes and a blue stripe for law enforcement and a red stripe for firefighters.

“People don’t really understand that flag. It’s nothing to do with police,” said Kennedy. “It’s police that have been killed. The meaning of the flag is to support police that have been killed. Not police that are active right now working. “

Neighbor James Adams doesn’t understand why the association is all of a sudden asking Kennedy to remove the flag.

“I understand that there are certain guidelines and bylaws that we have to follow,” said Adams. “But that’s a little much.”

Kennedy believes he understands the timing. A member of the association told him someone complained. “I think it’s self-explanatory what’s going on in the world.,” said Kennedy. “The hatred of the police because of one horrible action by a guy in Minnesota just tarnishing everybody.”

Kennedy says a number of neighbors have weighed in and support his right to fly the flag. He says he has no intention of removing it.

“I’m not taking it down. It’s something I’ve worked for for 25 years and I believe in, so, and it’s definitely not racist, it’s definitely not hatred,” said Kennedy. “It’s a tribute to law enforcement officers and firefighters who died.”

8 On Your Side called and e-mailed the management association that sent the letter and are awaiting a response.

[Kickass Conservative]

Read what he said again. He was defending himself by saying he supports dead cops, not live cops doing their job. He should have told them he supports the police, period. He

[Hildy]

You don’t know what you are talking about.

[Kickass Conservative]

You should be posting a sarcasm tag, not me. Read what the guy said, dead cops okay, but he isn’t defending live cops doing their job.

[TXnMA]

Californica Keyboard Commando blustered:"What a whiny bitch this guy is. Man up buddy. He Supports Dead Police but not Live Police? WTH is that about?"

"With friends like this guy, who needs enemies?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What a dumb@$$3d remark! :-(
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The retired Deputy Sheriff flies this flag...

...which was designed to memorialize and honor his fallen LEO brothers & sisters.

He used his command of the English language to describe its function precisely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a proud Veteran, I fly this flag...

...which was designed to memorialize and honor my POW and Missing In Action Military brothers & sisters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AFAIK neither of us has available a flag designed specifically to honor all our living, serving, and veteran comrades. For that purpose, I fly this flag -- above all others:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You obviously lack both the wits or cojones to crawl out from behind the anonymity of your keyboard, stand in front of either of us -- and accuse us of not honoring our serving and inactive comrades-in-arms!

TXnMA
  

[napscoordinator]

I love mine. You don’t have cars on blocks. Grass that’s 3 feet high next door. Weed infested grounds all over. I feel sorry for people who lack an HOA. I can’t imagine how they live in that filth.

[WildHighlander57]

Impala64ssa wrote:

“...Just a bunch of Karens with a Napoleon complex. And you get the “privilege” of paying hundreds in dues. Just a glorified protection racket. This is why when we were House hunting we told OUR agent in no uncertain terms NO HOAs!”

I told the realtor the same thing: get a map of the city and mark the streets that don’t have HOA’s, and show me houses there.
She did, and I found the house I’m in now & am happy to not deal with nosy nitpicking neighbors.

[napscoordinator]

I live in an HOA in Florida. They’ve only told me no twice. I wanted a circular driveway and I wanted to paint my light pole the color of the house. Nope to both. Light poles can only be white or black. No circular drives or tenses allowed at all. Oh well.

[WildHighlander57]

1.5 to 2 acres? What is allowed?

[Texan5]

There are some gated neighborhoods on the lake with expensive homes, HOA’s, no barns, no horses, 2 acre lots, but they are a few miles away and not my thing-most of those people are recent townie transplants and they call those of us in this place trashy, rednecks, old hippie nature nuts, etc-the un-gated, horse-and-livestock area with at-home mechanics’ shops, long haul truckers who park on their 3-10 acres, etc-call me trash for all I care-I grew up living in the natural world, smelling livestock and growing things and working outside most of the time...

Not at all the same thing as your neighborhood-no high-dollar homes, and people are not looking to manicure lawns, etc and maintain value to sell-most are making a living there for life, not planning to live on a waterfront in a high dollar home-most kids are home-schooled out here, too-different world than you live in, rural or not-one size does not fit all when it comes to priorities concerning living accommodations...

[ChildOfThe60s]

Key word here: voluntary

An HOA is certainly a two sided coin. People buy homes with HOAs and don’t bother to carefully read the covenants (thinking they will never be enforced anyway - right?), then complain they are being persecuted.

If an action is in violation of the covenant, it is irrelevant whether there is a single complaint or fifty. It was in writing before one bought the house.

HOAs can be legal landmines. A potential homeowner needs to know what he wants & doesn’t want and the repercussions if he chooses wrong. Ditto for simply buying a home.

[Ikeon]

If his lot is big enough for a pole barn whats the issue karen? Do you associate your self esteem with the value of your property? Thats some pretty low self esteem. and I want my property values to go down. = less taxes. Im not kidding. HOA are loaded with little people “ on the board” or “ friends of the board”. Do an internet search and see how many board members get shot at when homeowners finally have had enough. Ive read a few and dont know if I would convict anyof the shooters without a trial.

[wastedyears]

My wife says you don’t know what you are talking about.

Are one of you on an HOA board?

[napscoordinator]

Fences

[traderrob6]

1.5 to 2 acres? What is allowed?

I am not sure I understand what you mean.

[Nothingburger]

Yet another reason I feel blessed not to be at the mercy of an HOA.

[Henchster]

"Why buy a house with an HOA?"

So you don't end up living next to this:

Or this:

Or this:

I could go on, but hopefully, by now, you've got the point.

[WildHighlander57]

What does the association allow on the 1.5 to 2 acres?

What about the city/town?

With that much land, someone could have a shop, barn, large garden, chickens, a horse, a cow....

[WildHighlander57]

Looks like serious hoarding/packratting.

[Spktyr]

I *work* for HOAs in IT. I assure you I do.

[Spktyr]

Wait until some Karens get on the board and start insisting that your house has to be a specific Pantone color. :P