Sponsor of Massive I-75 Confederate Flag Dies Aged 73

   Marion Lambert: a man with a mission to honor Florida's Confederate past, died last week on his farm in Tampa. Famous for his massive Confederate flag near I-75 in Tampa, Lambert died after an encounter with a bull on his property. While the facts of his death aren't immediately clear, authorities do not suspect foul play. Surveillance cameras witnessed Lambert making his way to a neighbor’s home in an attempt to attain medical attention. Lambert fell to the ground in the driveway with his dog Dotty by his side. Upon his discovery, neighbors quickly called 911 to get Lambert help, though help came too late.

   Lambert lived like he died: a fighter, associates say. "He’s had a lot of run-ins with animals and he never gave up," his daughter Blue Ayala told the Tampa Bay Times. "He just did what he loved doing. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was stronger this time." Mother Nature wasn't the only force Lambert dealt with in his life. The infamous farmer also fought the forces of cultural change by erecting a massive flag pole on a strip of land near I-75 to display Confederate flags, including the most well-known Southern standard, the Battle Flag. Lambert bragged many times about his actions in 'tricking' the county for a permit to place the flag by stating the purpose for the pole's constructing related to the placement of an American veterans' memorial (which in part, contained truth).

   Lambert originally lived in Pensacola. He later studied and received a Masters in Psychology. He and his wife Nancy operated his c. 1900s farm together, purchasing the property in the 1970s, though a divorce upended their partnership. In 2018, the farm featured an outhouse, 1,000 chickens and dozens of dairy cows, steer and hogs. Lambert sold milk, eggs, meat and honey by the honor-system. The farm's customers dropped cash in a jar or box and took what they came for.

   A Southern history buff, Lambert erected the flag pole with the help of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in 2009. Lambert says the flag does not represent racism in his eyes. “It does bother me, a lot,” he said. “They don’t understand what it means.”

   The farm will go on even in the absence of its beloved caretaker. In a response to the outpouring of support from the community, Lambert's daughter expressed her gratitude: “I just want to say thank you for the years of the community being so generous and kind,” Ayala said. “We couldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the community.”