CEO takes stand against fines for flying massive American flag: It creates 'noise, unnecessary distractions'

Daily fines won't stop Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis from flying a huge Old Glory high and proud."This isn't the first time this has happened. We've been dealing with this for years. And we have these flags around the country, and they've been part of my fabric since I was a little kid," Lemonis said on "The Bottom Line" Monday."We dealt with it in Statesville; Morgan Hill, California; Onalaska, Wisconsin; and now Greenville, North Carolina. And I think this is a perfect example… of local and city and state municipalities putting regulations on businesses that don't advance the business. They just create more noise and unnecessary distractions."If you’ve driven by one of 250 of Camping World’s RV dealerships, the massive and prominent American flags flying on their properties are hard to miss. But when Camping World’s Greenville location put theirs up in October, according to the New York Post, problems began with local zoning officials.WHY AN ACTIVIST INVESTOR SAYS THE BATTLE AGAINST COSTCO D.E.I. REGIME ISN'T OVERCamping World’s flag is allegedly 15 times the allowed size and its 120-foot flagpole is too large, as well. Since Friday, the company has racked up penalties amounting to about $1,150.Lemonis showed no interest in taking down the flag anytime soon."I do it because I believe in it. I'm an immigrant in this country. This country gave me an opportunity to earn a living and to employ 13,000 people. I just choose to have a big flag because I've had one since I was a little kid," the CEO explained."And I know that's my way of expressing to the veterans and our customer base how much we believe in it," he added.He argued that the city’s crackdown on his patriotism actually hurts business and represents "a small example of why things [get] more expensive.""The business of selling champers is to enjoy the outside," Lemonis pointed out. "When you regulate business to the point where they have to add layers of expense, and they need to still maintain profitability, you have essentially created inflation to regulation."GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HEREThe city of Greenville did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.However, the New York Post also reported that Greenville’s city council denied Camping World’s request for a permit for the flag earlier this month, arguing that the company knowingly broke size regulations.READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESSWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei FOX Business Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei FOX Business