Acme Moving & Storage Co. v. Mason

167 So. 2d 555, 1964 WL 117710
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedSeptember 16, 1964
DocketNos. 33152-33157
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 167 So. 2d 555 (Acme Moving & Storage Co. v. Mason) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Acme Moving & Storage Co. v. Mason, 167 So. 2d 555, 1964 WL 117710 (Fla. 1964).

Opinion

O’CONNELL, Justice.

The above styled causes were consolidated for argument by order of this Court. The petitioners and respondents are identical in each case, however, there is a different intervener in each case. Nevertheless, the issues in each case are either identical, or so similar, as to permit decision of all cases by this one opinion.

The petitioners are long time holders of certificates of public convenience and necessity authorizing transportation of household goods to and between all points in Florida, with equipment domiciled at Jacksonville, Florida.

The interveners are non-certificated carriers of household goods and have for some time in the past transported such goods in that portion of Duval County which, until the passage of Chapter 63-5S6, Laws of Florida, 1963, was exempt from jurisdiction and control of the Commission by the provisions of F.S. Section 323.29(1), F.S.A. Chapter 63-SS6 became effective July 10, 1963. It amended Section 323.29(1) so as to give the Commission jurisdiction and control over persons operating motor vehicles in transportation of property for compensation, in the formerly exempted eastern area of Duval County. However, under the amendment vehicular transportation of persons in the area involved remained exempt from the jurisdiction of the Commission.

Shortly after the effective date of Chapter 63-556 the interveners filed with the Commission applications for certificates of public convenience and necessity to transport household goods over irregular routes in Duval County. Following these applications the interveners each also filed an application for temporary authority to transport such goods between all points in Duval County pending action of the Commission on the applications for certificates of convenience and necessity.

Notice of the applications for temporary authority was given to all interested parties, including the petitioners. The petitioners immediately filed protests in opposition to the issuance of the temporary operating authority, moved to dismiss the applications and asked for hearing.

The Commission, without acting on petitioners’ objections and without a hearing, advised the interveners by letter signed by its executive secretary that they were given the temporary authority to operate in the formerly exempt area of Duval County. Subsequently the Commission entered for[557]*557mal orders, nunc pro tunc, confirming the letter of authority previously issued. It is these orders which petitioners ask that we review and quash.

Petitioners contend that the questioned orders are invalid for three reasons.

First, they argue that the Commission failed to follow its own rules in issuing said orders.

Second, they contend that the affidavits attached to the applications for temporary authority, which affidavits were the only evidence before the Commission, fail to show and to support á finding that an immediate and urgent transportation need existed in the area involved or that delay necessary for a hearing would have caused manifest injustice to the applicants. The findings above mentioned are required by the Commission’s Rules 310-5.29(1) (a) (1) and 1(a) (3).

Third, they contend that Chapter 63-556 is unconstitutional for two reasons. First, petitioners reason that the statute deprives those formerly doing business in the exempt area of property without due process of law in that they are prohibited from continuing to operate in that area without obtaining authority from the Commission. They argue that the statute should have contained a grandfather clause to protect the interveners. Secondly, they say the statute is invalid because it is discriminatory in that it subjects to regulation carriers of property in the area while leaving carriers of persons exempt therefrom.

We will first consider the assault on the constitutionality of Chapter 63-556, supra.

Petitioners raised this question in their initial brief, but did not fully discuss it. Nor did their brief show how the statute affected their rights since they already had authority to operate between all points in Florida. The other parties gave scant attention to the questioned validity of the statute.

For this reason we requested the parties to file additional briefs limited to the constitutionality of the statute and the parties graciously complied.

In its additional brief the respondent-Commission, with refreshing candor, concedes that petitioners’ attack on the constitutionality of the last sentence of Chapter 63-556, supra, which also appears as the last sentence of the first paragraph of F.S. Section 323.29(1) F.S.A.1963, has merit. However, the Commission questions the standing of the petitioners to raise the constitutionality of the statute since the petitioners do not show that their rights to operate in the area are in anywise affected by the statute.

The Commission’s position is well taken. The petitioners have not shown, nor attempted to show that their right to operate in the so-called exempt area, or elsewhere, is affected by the statute. It is basic that the constitutionality of a statute may be challenged only by one whose rights are, or will be, adversely affected by it. See cases cited in 6 Fla.Jur., Constitutional Law, § 60. It is the rights of the interveners which are affected by the statute, but they have not attacked it. Rather they have sought to comply with its requirements.

Even if petitioners were able to demonstrate standing sufficient to warrant our considering the validity of the statute and if we were to find the statute unconstitutional it would not benefit petitioners. If Chapter 63-556 was held unconstitutional then the provisions of Section 329.29(1) as it previously existed would stand unchanged and the interveners could continue their operations as before without control by the Commission.

The Commission’s rule applicable to the proceedings here involved, Rule 310— 5.29, provides that application for temporary operating authority will be considered by the Commission only after: (1) formal ' application for certificate of public convenience and necessity has been made; (2) written application for temporary au[558]*558thority is filed; and (3) showing is made to the Commission by affidavit or sworn testimony of persons other than the applicant that an immediate and urgent transportation need exists.

Subsection (a) (1) (3) of Rule 310-S.29 further provides that any person having a real interest in the proceeding may file written protest and request hearing thereon. Further, if hearing is requested the rule provides that no action will be taken on the temporary authority application until protests are heard “unless the commission finds that such delay would cause manifest injustice.”

As noted above the petitioners filed written objections and requested a hearing thereon. Nevertheless, the Commission without granting petitioners a hearing granted the interveners temporary authority to operate in the formerly exempt area.

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167 So. 2d 555, 1964 WL 117710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/acme-moving-storage-co-v-mason-fla-1964.