Camping World CEO credits grandpa for flag

It’s always Florida’s fault.

Under fire for flying a larger-than-allowed U.S. flag over a Camping World dealership in Statesville, N.C., company president Marcus Lemonis said flying big flags is a family tradition that started in South Florida.

“My family has been car dealers, had been car dealers since the 1960s, and our key trademark was always flying our flag in our dealership in South Florida,” he said in a story posted on the website of Charlotte, N.C., television station WSOCTV.

The Statesville dealership, one of more than 100 owned by the Lincolnshire, Ill.-based seller of RVs and RV supplies, has been battling the city since 2015 over the size of its flag, which it says flies in tribute to the nation’s veterans, the station reported.

A lawsuit by the city against Camping World says a flag within 100 feet of a highway cannot be larger than 25 feet by 40 feet. The city tried to compromise last year by allowing the dealer to fly a larger flag than allowed, but Camping World chose to fly its 40-by-80 foot flag anyway, the story said.

The company is now being fined $50 a day retroactive to Oct. 15 for the flag, but Lemonis told the station he would continue to defy the city even if it goes to $500 a day. “It’s not coming down,” he said.

Lemonis, who has risen to fame over the past decade not only as the CEO of Camping World but also as the star of CNBC reality shows “The Profit” and “The Partner,” was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and was adopted during his infancy by a Miami couple. His grandfather, Anthony Abraham, owned large Chevrolet dealerships in Miami and Tampa until they were purchased by AutoNation in the late 1980s.