Florida town trumped by "The Donald"

A lawsuit filed in a Florida court on Jan. 18 requests the Town of Palm Beach to pay real estate tycoon Donald Trump $25 million.

The subject of the dispute is an American flag hoisted on an 80 foot flag pole on Trump's Florida business property, Mar-a-Lago Club, LLC.

Trump's suit alleges the town violated his constitutional rights by requesting he take the flag down.

In a Jan. 26 e-mail communication, Cheryl Kleen, the mayor's executive assistant, said the town "affirms the right of everyone to fly the American flag."

The issue is not the flag, but the flag pole, which is nearly double the maximum height allowed in the town's ordinance, Kleen said.

Trump was given the opportunity to go through the proper channels and apply for approval, but he chose to file the suit, Kleen said.

Trump is being fined $1,250 each day the flag remains erected on the property, according to a Jan. 16 report by The Associated Press.

The county clerk's records show that the Mar-a-Lago has more than 50 bedrooms and is the former home of heiress Marjorie Merriweather. The property has also been designated as a national historic landmark by Congress.