City of Pensacola v. Escambia County

4 Fla. Supp. 2d 2
CourtCircuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida
DecidedSeptember 21, 1982
DocketCase No. 81-928-CA-01
StatusPublished

This text of 4 Fla. Supp. 2d 2 (City of Pensacola v. Escambia County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Circuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Pensacola v. Escambia County, 4 Fla. Supp. 2d 2 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1982).

Opinion

BEN GORDON, Circuit Judge

This “double taxation” lawsuit was brought by the City of Pensacola, pursuant to Article VIII, §l(h), Florida Constitution and §125.01(6), Florida Statutes (1981). It challenges the expenditure, by Escambia County, of countywide revenues to pay for the following services which, the City contends, provide no real or substantial benefit to City residents:

A. Sheriff’s Patrol Division, including overhead and administrative support service costs allocable to the Patrol Division;
[3]*3B. Sheriff’s Investigation Division, including overhead and administrative support service costs allocable to the Investigation Division;
C. Services of the County Road Operations Department provided on and construction of roads located in the unincorporated areas and classified by the State of Florida Department of Transportation as local roads. Plaintiff did not contend that services provided on county wide facilities, facilities in the City and on the arterial and collector State and County road system were not a real and substantial benefit;
D. Services of the County Planning and Engineering Department provided on roads located in the unincorporated areas and classified by the State Department of Transportation as local roads; and
E. Certain County administrative and support services, to the extent the costs of such services are properly allocable to the services listed above.

Trial was held from August 23 to August 27, 1982. Extensive testimony was taken and documentary evidence presented by both parties.

The thrust of the testimony and evidence presented by Plaintiff City of Pensacola was that the challenged services did not provide a real and substantial benefit to the residents or property of the City. The Defendant Escambia County in defense attempted to demonstrate quantified or measurable benefit within the corporate boundaries of the City of Pensacola or directly to the City residents and property or departments of the City and evidence of factors of indirect and non-measurable benefit to residents and property of the City from the challenged services.

This Court hereby recognizes the following principles embodied under the applicable constitutional and statutory provisions:

1. Plaintiff City of Pensacola has the burden to prove that the challenged services provide no real and substantial benefit to the citizens or property of the City of Pensacola; that the challenged services are funded from County revenues other than revenues derived specifically from or on behalf of a municipal service taxing unit, unincorporated area, service area or program area; and that the challenged services, including the overhead and administration costs, are identifiable services.

2. The requisite benefit to be received by residents and property in the City of Pensacola need not be direct or primary. It is necessary that the benefit be real and substantial and not merely illusory or inconsequential. [4]*4City of St. Petersburg v. Briley, Wild & Associates, Inc., 239 So.2d 817 (Fla. 1970); Manatee County v. Town of Longboat Key, 365 So.2d 143 (Fla. 1978); and Alsdorf v. Broward County, 373 So.2d 695 (Fla. App. 1979).

The dispute between the City and the County dates back at least to 1978, when the City sent the County a “double taxation” resolution as required by §125.01(6), Florida Statutes. In response to this resolution, the County hired Mr. Richard Kelton, Southern-Kelton & Associates, to study the problem. Since that time, the question of dual taxation has been studied by both the City and County and, in the 1979-1980 budget, the County created a MSTV which partially addressed the City’s concerns. The County contends that it has adequately provided for any challengeable services through the establishment of a MSTV or other means as provided for in Florida Statute §125.01(7). The City’s contention is that the County has not so provided, leaving services uncorrected, resulting in dual taxation to the citizenry of Pensacola.

In recognition of such legal principles and after consideration of the testimony and evidence presented by both parties at trial in this cause, this Court hereby makes the following findings:

1. Services provided by the Sheriff’s Patrol Division provide no real and substantial benefit to residents and property of the City of Pensacola under the requirements of Article VIII, § 1(h), Florida Constitution and §125.01(7), Florida Statutes.

The patrol areas of the Sheriff’s road patrol adjacent to the city do not include portions of the City. The Sheriff’s road patrol does not routinely patrol any area of the City. Complaints received by the Sheriff’s Department from areas within the City are referred to the City of Pensacola Police Department for responses unless the Sheriff’s Department is specifically requested to respond. Evidence submitted at trial indicated a minute number of responses by the Sheriff’s road patrol within the City.

2. Services provided by the Sheriff’s Investigation Division do provide a real and substantial benefit to the citizens and property of the City of Pensacola under the requirements as set out in Article VIII, § 1(h), Florida Constitution and §125.01(7), Florida Statutes. The Investigation Division works extensively in and out of the City of Pensacola; the Narcotics Division being the most active investigative arm of the County Sheriff’s Department within the City of Pensacola. Much of the urbanized area of the County is unincorporated. City residents work and own property in the unincorporated areas which are served by investigations of the Sheriff’s Department. Because of the high mobility of the [5]*5professional criminal, the solving of a crime in an unincorporated area often clears investigations of crimes within the City of Pensacola.

3. Services provided by the Escambia County Road Operations Department on roads classified as local roads by the Florida Department of Transportation, whether located in an urbanized or rural area of the County, provide no real and substantial benefit to the citizens or property within the City of Pensacola under the requirements of Article VIII, § 1 (h), Florida Constitution and §125.01(7), Florida Statutes. Both parties have stipulated that arterial and collector roads, as defined by the Department of Transportation, within urbanized areas of the County, do provide a real and substantial benefit to the citizens of the City of Pensacola. Local roads, as defined by §334.03(17) of the Florida Statutes,

§334.03 (17) “Local road.”—A route providing service which is of relatively low average traffic volume, short average trip length or minimal through-trafficmovements, and high land access for abutting property.,

are those roads which mainly serve as subdivision roads and are used primarily by persons going to and from places of residence. When traveling through unincorporated areas of the County, citizens of the City of Pensacola will not customarily utilize the subdivision or local roads but are likely to use arterial and collector roads. Local roads primarily serve abutting property owners. All of the County’s local roads are contained in the unincorporated areas of the County’s local roads are contained in the unincorporated areas of the County. Primary benefits of local roads are to the people who live on them.

Mr.

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Related

City of Ormond Beach v. County of Volusia
383 So. 2d 671 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1980)
City of St. Petersburg v. Briley, Wild & Assoc., Inc.
239 So. 2d 817 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1970)
Alsdorf v. Broward County
333 So. 2d 457 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1976)
MANATEE CTY. v. Town of Longboat Key
365 So. 2d 143 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1978)
Longtin v. Witcher
352 So. 2d 808 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1977)
Alsdorf v. Broward County
373 So. 2d 695 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1979)

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Bluebook (online)
4 Fla. Supp. 2d 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-pensacola-v-escambia-county-flacirct-1982.