Florida homeowner facing fines for ‘Trump Won’ and ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ banners

A man from Seagrove Beach, Fla., on the state’s panhandle, is facing off with county code enforcement officials who have told him he must remove banners hanging at his home that read “Let’s Go Brandon” and “Trump Won” and are fining him $50 for each day the banners are left up, reported Florida news outlet WFLA.

The Florida man is Marvin Peavy, and he believes that being forced to remove his banners is a violation of his freedom of speech, according to WFLA.

Peavy was told to remove his banners during a code enforcement hearing last month where officials determined the displays violated the county’s land development code, reported WFLA. 

“I’m here on the beach, and I got a lot of traffic, and people needed to see what I believe in,” said Peavy, according to WFLA. “That’s free speech, and I wanted everyone to know that I’m a Republican and I’m supporting Donald Trump.”

WFLA reported that many people came out in support of Peavy on Sunday afternoon and cheered him on.

Peavy had previously flown his “Trump Won” banner last year during the 2020 presidential election, but he removed it after President Biden took office, according to WFLA. 

I’m.proud to live in Walton County, Florida pic.twitter.com/iPZj3MMGmV

— Telefunken U47 (@leepaiva_32439) November 1, 2021

Peavy was then permitted under the county’s land development code to display the banners because an active election cycle was in progress. However, Peavy’s hanging the banner again this May and adding a “Let’s Go Brandon” banner beside it Saturday were deemed impermissible by code enforcement officials, according to WFLA.

Walton County code compliance official Michael Lynch said the issue was not with the slogans on the banners and that the restrictions are meant to maintain the aesthetic of the beach community, WFLA reported.

Peavy is not backing down and has told WMBB that people all over the nation have offered to pay the fines for him. 

The phrase “Let’s go Brandon” went viral after a reporter at a NASCAR race misheard a crowd’s “F— Joe Biden” chants. Since then, it has been popularized online as an anti-Biden catchphrase that’s substituted for the more explicit chant.

The phrase has been used widely both online and offline and even put on T-shirts by the Trump campaign. A Southwest pilot recently set off a controversy by saying “Let’s Go Brandon” over the onboard PA system during a flight.