Huge Confederate flag near Interstate is one man’s mission

Author: Associated Press
Published:
The Third Official Flag of the Confederacy flies over Confederate Memorial Park Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Marion Lambert is unapologetic about the abundance of Confederate flags that surround him at his Florida farm.

But the flag he’s proudest of sits about 17 miles away, at the corners of Interstates 4 and 75.

It’s the centerpiece of the Confederate Memorial Park, a small sliver of privately owned land.

The flag has been a thorn in the side of local officials and a source of puzzlement and anger to many residents and visitors. While it’s no longer the largest Confederate battle flag in the nation – after it was wind-battered it was replaced with a slightly smaller model – it does stand out as one is driving along.

Lambert says reading about the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia depressed him, adding that the neo-Nazis are “fringe nutcases.”

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