Associated Air Services, Inc. v. Broward County (In re Associated Air Services, Inc.)

109 B.R. 520, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 16
United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Florida.·Decided January 8, 1990·No. Bankruptcy No. 83-02276-BKC-AJC; ADV. No. 88-0303-BKC-AJC·Published

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

A. JAY CRISTOL, Bankruptcy Judge.

THIS MATTER having come before the Court for non-jury trial on Wednesday, May 24, 1989, with continuations on Wednesday, May 31, 1989, and Thursday, November 30, 1989; and with the Court having heard argument of Counsel, having reviewed and considered the law and the evidence presented, having conducted a “view” of the premises, and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, does make the following findings of fact and conclusions of law:

I. FINDINGS OF FACT

A. Jurisdiction.

1. Associated Air Services, Inc., is a Florida corporation, conducting business as a Fixed Base Operation at the Fort Lauder-dale-Hollywood International Airport, in Broward County, Florida, which is within the Southern District of Florida.

2. Associated Air Services, Inc., is presently conducting operations as debtor in possession, under the protection of Chapter II, of the United States Bankruptcy Code, in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida, and this action was brought under Part VII of the Bankruptcy Rules as an adversary action to establish through declaratory judgment an appropriate lease amount under a lease extension agreement between the debtor and Broward County.

B. Declaratory Judgment.

1. Associated Air Services, Inc., owns and holds a lease (hereinafter referred to as the “original lease”) on property owned by the Defendant, Broward County, being made the 27th day of December, 1966. (Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1).

[521]*5212. The lease term under the original lease was 20 years, commencing on the 1st day of January, 1967, and was to expire on the 31st day of December, 1986.

3. The leased premises comprise approximately 23.264 acres, located on the southern boundary of the Port Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and the parties contemplated Plaintiffs predecessors construction of facilities including Airplane hangars, shops and offices, pavements, and utilities.

4. The leased premises have been the principal place of Plaintiff/debtor’s business, or that of Plaintiffs predecessor, from the date of commencement, through the present.

5. On the 19th day of November, 1968, Broward County, as lessor, and Plaintiffs predecessor, as lessee, entered into a “Lease Option Agreement,” permitting lessee the option to extend the “original lease” for an additional 10 years, beginning January 1, 1987. (Plaintiffs Exhibit 2).

6. Plaintiff has rightfully exercised its option for the 10-year lease extension.

7. Paragraph la of the Lease Extension Agreement provides in part, “At the original expiration date of the Lease, rentals are to be paid by Lessee on all improvements which exist at the time of execution of this Lease Option Agreement. Rental rates shall be established by the County at the beginning of this extended period of the Lease ...”

8. No rental rate for the lease extension period was set by the county prior to the expiration of the lease. (Testimony of Jack Lee).

9. In early 1987, Mr. Jack Lee, as Airport Property Manager for the Broward County Aviation Department, upon the instruction of his superiors, notified Associated Air that the new lease amount would be $360,000 per year. That amount was computed as 12% of the appraised amount from the McGary Appraisal. (Testimony of Jack Lee).

10. Associated Air rejected the lease amount as unreasonable, and refused to pay same. (Testimony of Charles Hiett, Jack Lee).

11. On April 22, 1987, Jack Lee revised the rental rate, and presented proposed rental of $66,865 for 19.3 acres of developed property, including all of the improvements, office buildings, hangers, utilities and ramp facilities, etc. An additional $43,-560 was proposed for the remaining undeveloped approximately four (4) acres. This lease amount was officially set forth by letter from Mr. Lee dated January 11,1988. (Defendant’s Exhibits 4 & 16).

12. Associated Air rejected the revised rental as being unreasonable in light of the other leases on the airport, and commenced this declaratory judgment action.

13. The property which is the subject of this litigation is airport property that was deeded to Broward County by the United States Government, under a conditional deed agreement, and is an airport for which Broward County receives substantial developmental assistance. The Court takes judicial notice that the requirements for the continuation of the original deed, and the acceptance of funds for development require that the airport remain open for public access in the National Airspace Program that there be no discrimination among users. Further, the County must comply with all applicable Federal laws, regulations, executive orders, policies, guidelines and requirements as they relate to the application, acceptance and use of Federal funds. The Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982 requires the submission of certain assurances on the part of the public agency sponsor, seeking the funds. (Testimony of Herbert Godfrey, and 49 U.S.C.App. 1301, et seq., 49 U.S.C.App. 2201, et seq.).

14. The court has been presented with a number of leases on the airport, explanations as to the operations of each lease holder, the circumstances of the lease, and the lease terms. The court finds that it is necessary to consider comparisons of similar tenants and usage.

15. Associated Air Services, Inc., is a full service Fixed Base Operation, providing services to general aviation, including tie down parking space, fuel, oil, hanger [522]*522space, etc. Associated Air occupies facilities that were constructed in the late 1960’s, which remain substantially in their original condition. Associated Air is operating under a 10 year lease extension, granted as a result of the construction of substantial improvements to the property.

16. Only two of the other properties at the airport occupy what the Court considers the same or similar position as Associated Air Services. Those properties have been referred to as Walker’s a/k/a Sheltair North, and the Thomas Boy property. Both the Sheltair North and Boy properties were granted 10 year lease extensions within the last 24 months. Both properties occupy older existing buildings, and both cater to general aviation aircraft. The other properties presented were dissimilar either in use, facility age, location, the fact that they were new leases, or a combination of these factors.

17. Jack Lee has testified as airport property manager that lease amounts are to be based upon an equal percentage of appraised value. Based upon the varying conditions of the properties, ranging from undeveloped raw land to exclusive use fuel storage facilities, to new and modern buildings, and further based upon the great range of rental rates, the court finds that the County has not, in the past, used a fixed and identifiable measure for the establishment of rents.

18. The Court has heard testimony from the Director of Planning for the Bro-ward County Aviation Department, Mr. Ray Lumbomski, that immediately prior to the exercising of the lease option by Associated Air, the County was making major changes to the Airport Master Plan which materially impacted upon the allowable use of the Associated Air property.

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Associated Air Services, Inc. v. Broward County (In re Associated Air Services, Inc.), 109 B.R. 520, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 16 (Fla. 1990).

109 B.R. 520 (Associated Air Services, Inc. v. Broward County (In re Associated Air Services, Inc.)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.