Lake Worth Beach, a city known for its small-town arts persona, has traditionally flown only two flags alongside the U.S. flag: the LGBTQIA+ pride and Haitian flags — as city symbols of cultural inclusion during PRIDE and Haitian Heritage Month.
That changed on July 1 when the commission quietly voted 4-1 against raising the Haitian flag, citing First Amendment concerns raised by Commissioner Anthony Segrich. The city had celebrated it in May with student photos and a mayoral speech.
The lack of wide public input made the city’s decision especially confusing for supporters, turning the debate over which flags may be flown outside public buildings into a political flashpoint amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Commissioner Christopher McVoy, the lone voice of dissent, said flags were long-time celebrations of cultural pride in the community.
“Of course we put up the American flag highest and first and more frequently,” McVoy said. “But there is no harm in putting up flags from other parts.”
Commissioner Segrich disagreed, citing potential legal concerns over raising flags not specified in city policy.
Said Segrich: “It’s a matter of time before somebody asks us to raise a flag that members of our community find offensive.”
“What if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wanted to fly their own flag? Would you support that? I don’t think so,” Segrich said directing his question to Commissioner McVoy.
“ And there's many in our community that don't find it offensive,” Segrich added. “And so there are many that would wanna see that.”
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During the meeting, officials discussed the need for clear guidelines on proclamations and flag raising. Historically, the city has approved both without consistent criteria, but the lack of a formal policy has led to confusion and inconsistent decisions, city staff said.
”We don't have a policy. So there's nothing really in place to say this is the criteria that the city looks at in terms of what flags we raise and what flags we won’t, interim city manager Jamie Brown cautioned. “What proclamations we'll actually put on the agenda and present, and what proclamations we won't.”
“We’re trying to stop an issue,” he added.
Commissioner Sarah Malega was originally hesitant about the decision to stop raising the Haitian flag.
“ I'm not gonna sit here and ever vote for the Haitian flag not to be raised and the LGBTQ flag not to be raised. I just, I won't,” she said. “That's something, historically, this city has always supported, always done. And at a time right now where there's division in this country, I will not turn my back on either one of those communities and say that we will no longer raise that flag.”
Eventually, Malega suggested Segrich’s previous idea of creating a new city flag that he believed would be more inclusive.
In the end, Malega, Commissioner Mimi May, and Mayor Betty Resch sided with Segrich to only fly the U.S Flag and the LGBTQIA+ flag "in recognition that it is official policy of the city, that we are a sanctuary city,” Segrich said.
There is no clear definition of a sanctuary jurisdiction, but it is generally understood to apply to state and local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Commissioner May said raising the Haitian flag is akin to raising a sports flag.
The commissioner’s reference to ICE as a hypothetical example, suggesting the city could be forced to raise an ICE flag in the future, was particularly disturbing to Lake Worth High school teacher Andrew Cavanagh, who told WLRN Haitian Heritage Month is typically celebrated with parades, Haitian music and food, and lessons in history and language, which are often attended by city commissioners.
“I was pretty disturbed that he said there would be residents that would support that,” he said, given the chilling context of immigration crackdowns in the area. “It seems like they're kind of distancing themselves from our Haitian population… it’s a little scary right now.”
Cavanagh, who works closely with a large Haitian-American student population, said the city’s decision caught members of the community off guard. And that not enough people were able to participate in the debate over the broader push to celebrate the city’s diversity more permanently and inclusively.
Lake Worth Beach is also known for its Guatemalan and Finnish history — no other flags were raised from other ethnic enclaves.
“I was surprised about the vote,” he said, explaining that the meeting didn’t appear to focus on banning the Haitian or LGBTQ flags, but rather on developing a general flag policy.
“I was very surprised about the lack of them alerting residents to what they eventually voted on,” he said.
