GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN/Gray News) – The CEO of Camping World talked with WITN after the city council in Greenville, North Carolina, voted to authorize the filing of civil action against the company.
“Not when they sue, not when I lose, not if they take me to jail, the flag is not coming down,” Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis said.
Camping World’s fight against the city of Greenville concerning its enormous flag seems to be far from over as Lemonis says it’s here to stay.
The battle surrounding the flag heated up Monday night after Greenville council members voted 4-2 to authorize the city to file a civil action against Camping World for violating code regarding the size of the flag and the flagpole it is flying on.
It is a vote Lemonis disagrees with.
“While I respect the city council’s position and while I understand they have the right to sue me, and they’re going to and I understand I have the right to defend myself, the flag is never coming down,” Lemonis said.
The company’s CEO says he feels like the potential lawsuit is pointed in the wrong direction.
“They need to sue me, not the business, because I put the flags up everywhere,” Lemonis added.
Lemonis lived in Lebanon until he was adopted by a family in Miami in 1974. While in Miami, he says he grew up watching his family in the car dealership business, flying their American flag high in the sky.
“I remember as a little child telling my family, ‘You know I’m the American dream, not you guys. And when I get bigger,’ and this is a little kid talking, ‘When I get bigger, I’m going to have a flag in my business and it’s going to be bigger than this one,‘” Lemonis remembered.
The larger flag that he wished for now has him facing some trouble.
The flag first sparked controversy back in October 2024 when Camping World put it up.
The council says it is nearly the size of a basketball court at 3,200 square feet. It flies on a pole that stands 130 feet tall, almost double the size of the current regulation.
Council members have since voiced their concerns that the company did not go about its permit application in a truthful way.
Lemonis says the flag company in charge of putting it up most likely saw the ordinance and wrote measurements down to match it.
“Truth be told, as I look at it now, I can see why people would be frustrated that the flag company would write one thing and then do something else,” Lemonis said. “I didn’t know what they wrote. If I had known, I would have had them not fill out anything at all and then I would have put the flag up.”
According to the city, Camping World has failed to pay thousands of dollars in fines, and says filing a lawsuit is necessary to remedy the zoning violation and any other pending code violations.
Despite this, Lemonis says he is ready for the fight to keep the flag flying and his message to the city is clear.
“Allow the flag to fly. Allow people to enjoy it. Allow kids in this country to understand what an amazing place they live in,” Lemonis said.
Lemonis is expected to go to court on April 15 regarding an oversized flag in Tennessee.
He says if a court date is set in Greenville, he expects to be visiting here when the day comes.
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