Flaming Greek's fiery patriotic display forced down

LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. (WSVN) -- Christopher Kydes' decision to erect a 45-foot-tall burning flagpole did not sit well with the City of Lighthouse Point.

City officials ordered Kydes, better known as television chef the Flaming Greek, to apply for a permit in order to keep the pole up. But the requirements were too difficult and the accumulating fines were too expensive.

Kydes said, when he tried to legalize his structure, he was given the runaround. "I delivered the permit and they said that the engineering plans were not stamped, so I went and got an engineer and the engineer told me that it was going to be $1,500 to start with, and there's no guarantees," he said. "He also told me that the city is very capable of playing games, so the sky is the limit. How far do you go in these economic times? The city sent me a letter [threatening me with] $250 to $500 a day in fines."

Early Monday, Kydes lowered Old Glory while volunteers provided the muscle and crane needed to remove the pole itself, however the professional cook said he plans to re-erect the display at a secret location.

(Copyright 2009 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)