Third time's a charm for ex-judge's flagpole

The city allows him to erect a 39-foot flagpole outside his law office after it rejected his two earlier proposals.

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 20, 2000

INVERNESS -- He finally got it.

After wrangling with city officials for three months over several proposals, former County Judge Gary Graham received the city's blessing Wednesday to erect a 39-foot flagpole outside his law office at 407 Courthouse Square.

The flagpole, which Graham said would fly the American flag, will go in the southwest corner of Graham's parking lot, next to the cluster of palm trees.

"I intend to make it as identical as possible to the flagpole across the street at the old courthouse," Graham told the city's Architectural/Aesthetic Review Committee.

The flagpole in front of the historic courthouse is also about 39 feet tall.

The committee's approval ends Graham's dispute with the city over his right to put a flagpole on his property.

The city denied his first application in April to put a 21-foot flagpole on top of his 19-foot law office sign, saying the awkward design would not blend with the historic downtown architecture.

Graham, who was removed from the bench in 1993 for judicial misconduct, complained then that the city was trying to prevent him from flying the American flag, but city officials said the decision was based on flagpole aesthetics.

The committee expressed concern last month with Graham's second proposal to put a 39-foot flagpole 31/2 feet north of his law office sign, saying the flagpole would block access to some of the parking spaces in Graham's lot.

At Wednesday's meeting, which was specifically called to address Graham's flagpole application, the committee approved Graham's third proposal to put the 39-foot flagpole among the palm trees.

Graham's court reporter was there to take down the committee's brief discussion of the flagpole request.

"From the standpoint of aesthetics and form, it appears to be compatible with the area where it's located, and it's certainly compatible with the other flag structures in the downtown area," said Bill Wiley, director of the city's development services department.

Graham declined to comment about the flagpole after the meeting.

In other news, Wiley updated the committee on the removal of several aged trees from the old jail site where the county is paving a parking lot.

Wiley said he approved the county's request to remove the trees because the old oaks were "in a state of decline" and would likely continue to deteriorate during parking lot construction.

But he said in accordance with the city's Land Development Code, the county would be required to plant new trees along the parking lot. Wiley said he has urged the county to plant a "larger specimen of trees," such as adult live oaks.

"We felt the condition of the trees didn't warrant trying to save them," Wiley said during an interview after the meeting. "When you see trees that don't have a green canopy, trees that have dead branches and brown spots, you can assume they're in a declining state."

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