Rooftop 'TRUMP 2024' painting can stay. Lake Worth Beach drops citation. Here's why

LAKE WORTH BEACH — A downtown business owner will get to keep a giant pro-Trump display on the roof of his Lake Avenue business after code enforcement cited him for it.

A red “TRUMP 2024” painted message on the roof of Dylan Harrison's one-story retail building at 508 Lake Ave. — home to Kavasutra, The Ice Cream Affair, The Office and Retrohouse Comics — does not violate city code, city officials decided on Tuesday, May 7.

The original citation asserted that the painting can be classified under the city code’s definition of a sign or mural and is subject to regulation. But city officials now agree that the painting does not fit those categories.

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Why Lake Worth Beach cited building owner for Trump painting

The city’s Code Compliance Division cited Harrison’s property in March after one of its officers, responding to a resident's complaint, concluded during a February inspection that the message backing former President Donald Trump's campaign for president requires a permit because it is either a mural or sign under city code.

But the city dropped that citation Tuesday, May 7, after a meeting involving the assistant directors for Code Compliance and Planning and Zoning as well as the city attorney, according to case information that Code Compliance posted on Lake Worth Beach's website.

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Officials determined the painting is not a mural or sign because it is on the roof, not the walls. That’s the same argument that Kavasutra manager Michael Klein told WPTV NewsChannel 5 on Monday.

"They want us to remove it or file for a permit, but it's not a permittable sign because it's on the roof," he said. He added that he would work with an attorney on the case.

Why Lake Worth Beach dropped its case against the TRUMP painting

City code has no rules on rooftop paintings, City Attorney Elizabeth Lenihan said Thursday.

“If the city were to redefine the definition of a sign to include things that could be seen from adjacent property owners, even if it wasn’t from the street, that would be different,” she said. Neighbors in the five-story condominium building next door can see the painting when they look down from their balconies.

Harrison did not return multiple calls or messages for comment.

Chris Persaud is the data reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at cpersaud@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 'TRUMP 2024' rooftop painting can stay after citation is dropped