Furled Again? Nope: Bucs' Flag Meets City Code

By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune

Published: Sep 7, 2007

TAMPA - In days of yore, hoisting the Jolly Roger instilled fear in the hearts of honest folks. The flag sent up a 15-story-high pole at One Buc Place on Thursday is intended to have the same effect on opposing football teams.

On the day it debuted, though, the 4,000-square-foot banner - a skull and crossed swords in a sea of red - caused more angst than fear as Tampa officials scurried to make sure a piece of nylon with the dimensions of a couple good-sized houses complies with the city code.

The city code? Since when does a marauding pirate trifle over city codes?

In the end, they learned, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wouldn't need to haul out the cannons. The 80-by-50 foot flag on the 147.5-foot pole is legal.

"Usually," Tampa City Attorney David Smith said, "they are pretty good about checking with us on things like this."

He had not heard about the flag-raising ceremony, though. An hour and a half before the event, he was asking questions.

"Is it on a flagpole? Is it free-standing?" Smith asked. If so, nothing in the city's sign ordinance addresses it. If it were a banner hanging down the side of a building, that would be another story, he said. But a free-standing flagpole with a flag is legal, he said, no matter the size.

Tampa Code Enforcement Director Curtis Lane agreed that if the flag is flown on a pole, it is legal. He said he had not heard about the Bucs' flag as of Thursday morning, and wasn't aware of any requests for variances or permits, if, in fact, one was needed.

"As long as it's not on a building," he said. "If it was hanging on a building, it would draw our attention."

Julia Cole, senior assistant city attorney who knows the sign ordinance inside and out, said the flag is legal and there will be no skirmishes with the Bucs over it.

"If it's a flag, it's a flag," she said, "and flags under our sign code are allowable."

Players, coaches, front office people and the media were on hand to witness the spectacle as the Bucs unfurled the flag, which in the minds of a lot of football fans is the unofficial symbol of Tampa Bay.

"It's a big flag," Coach Jon Gruden said after the sweltering afternoon practice. As the nylon flag crinkled and snapped in the breeze, Gruden admired it. "It's a beautiful flag," he said. "I'll be able to see that from my house. I think it's the biggest flag I've ever seen."

The Bucs wanted to make sure the flag was up next to the team's headquarters before the season opener, which takes place 2,600 miles away in Seattle on Sunday afternoon. The Seahawks unfurled their own 3,000-square-foot flag Thursday, according to the team's Web site.

Note: It's only a 3,000-square-foot banner.

So can a Buccaneer fan sitting on the top row of Qwest Field see the flag back home with a big pair of binoculars? Likely not. But it will be seen by anyone driving anywhere near Raymond James Stadium.

And that's the idea.

Buccaneer spokeswoman Lauren Van Lierop said the flag was made by ABC Flag & Pennant in Tampa. She didn't know how much it cost, but said it took 11 seamsters six weeks to stitch by hand.

"You can't fit that in any sewing machine," she said. The flag is made of the same material as parachutes and fully complies with all the legal requirements, she said.

"It's all up to code."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or at kmorelli@tampatrib.com.