Your holiday wreath, yes — your flag, no

Condominium and homeowner associations may be able to control the color you paint your house, what holiday decorations you put up, and where you park your car. They can’t, however, take away your right to fly Old Glory.

Florida laws governing both types of associations specifically say owners can display one portable, removable American flag in “a respectful manner.” The condominium statute also allows flags of the five armed forces branches to be flown on five patriotic holidays — but only if they are no larger than 4 1⁄ by 6 feet.

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While associations can squabble about almost anything, Fort Lauderdale attorney Donna DiMaggio Berger said flag fights are rare.

“Most of these communities are very patriotic. They open their board meetings by saying the pledge of allegiance and their clubhouses have flagpoles,” said Berger, a shareholder with the Becker & Poliakoff firm, which represents associations statewide.

A recent rare exception, Berger said, was the case of a 73-year-old Jacksonville veteran who was battling his homeowner association last year over a small flag he had stuck in a flower pot on his porch. “They didn’t think it was respectful,” she said. The parties settled their differences, Berger said, when the vet agreed to install an approved flag holder.