Restoring Flags to our Bridge of Lions

When the Bridge of Lions was taken down and reconstructed 2006-2008, the new Bridge of Lions lacked flag poles.

The flag poles need to be restored. American flags need to be flown, as before. Flags for special events must also be flown, as with the Rainbow flags June 8-13, 2005, by federal court order.

Last year, in informal discussions, Commissioners agreed with this (one was out of town). Has our City staff again dropped the ball?
Ask Paul Williamson, our City Public Affairs Director, as unfriendly a PR man as ever refused to say "good afternoon." He must go.

Under the prior city policy, our Gay Pride group showed a connection to history and an event open to the public.

Let the flags fly again. Now.

Unfortunately, a letter and editorial postscript response in today's St. Augustine Record get it wrong. The letter stated, inter alia, "When St. Augustine hosted the “Gay Pride Week” a few years back this group requested to fly its flag across the bridge. They were denied. Because of that ruling, now no flag may be flown." The postscript says the City has "no dog in that fight." http://staugustine.com/opinions/2014-08-03/why-doesnt-old-glory-fly-over-st-augustines-bridge-lions#.U94E0BawhhA

That dog won't hunt.

Nope.

First, the group won. United States District Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr. ruled for the group and against the City, which was ordered to fly Rainbow flags to remedy the City's content-based violation of the First Amendment. The City paid the group's attorney fees. They City had allowed every group that ever wanted to fly flags to do so, including Flagler College (59 days during 2004-2005 without any expressed historic nexus), the St. Augustine Lighthouse, the ACCORD civil rights group, and even the Broward Yacht Company.

Second, it was a poltroonish former City Commission that voted against flying any flags in retaliation for the federal court victory.

Third, yes the State of Florida owns the Bridge of Lions, but City policies governed flag-flying, which is why our local Gay Pride group had to go to federal court to fly the flags in the first place. Yes, if Americans are flown, other flags will fly too, as before.

Who among us would disagree with the First Amendment, which requires that result? (Other than City Attorney RONALD WAYNE BROWN, a mossback who is retiring on September 15, 2014).

So let the truth be told -- we can fly the flags. Let's erect flagpoles. Let's fly the flags. Now.

By the way, there were seven flag poles along the Bayfront, which a former City Manager had taken down. Why?