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Huge Rebel Flag Up For Good, Site Owner Says

Tribune file photo by CHRIS URSO

Marion Lambert watches as the Confederate battle flag flaps in the breeze near Interstate 75 in June.

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By MIKE SALINERO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 4, 2008

TAMPA - The gigantic Confederate flag flying at an Interstate 75 approach to Tampa will stay up indefinitely, the property owner says.

The 30-by-50-foot flag has been up and down since initially being raised June 3 next to the I-75 bridge over U.S. 92. Most recently, the Sons of Confederate Veterans raised the flag Aug. 23 to honor the memory of Bart Siegel, a member who died Aug. 7.

The flag has been flying the past two weeks, and Marion Lambert, owner of the property and a spokesman for the local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, says he expects the flag to continue flying.

"My hunch, my gut feeling is it's probably going to stay up because it's just a beautiful sight," Lambert said.

The flag is part of a memorial park dedicated to Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The park is to be dedicated April 26, Confederate Memorial Day in Florida.

David McCallister, a member of the local group, said the original plan had been to start flying the flag permanently at the dedication.

"Once the basic construction is through and we have a certificate of completion, we will definitely start the permanent flying," McCallister said.

Michelle Williams, a black community activist, said she will be organizing opposition to the flag in the coming two weeks.

"I want to get the community so riled up," Williams said. "I want to get them so upset about the flag because that flag is going to come down."

Hillsborough County Commission members tried to persuade Lambert and other members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans to take the flag down in the name of racial harmony.

The Confederate battle flag is seen by many blacks as a symbol of slavery and racism.

Lambert says the flag is a symbol of Southern heritage and that Confederate veterans should be honored just as other Americans who fought and died in wars.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib

.com.

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