Classy Cycles, Inc. v. Bay County

201 So. 3d 779, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 14507
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedSeptember 28, 2016
DocketNo. 1D15-4623
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 201 So. 3d 779 (Classy Cycles, Inc. v. Bay County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Classy Cycles, Inc. v. Bay County, 201 So. 3d 779, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 14507 (Fla. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

BILBREY, J.

This is an appeal from the trial court’s denial of Appellant, Classy Cycles, Inc.’s, motion for summary judgment and resulting final judgment, which denied Appellant’s challenges to portions of the City of Panama City Beach and Bay County’s (collectively “the local governments”) ordinances related to the rental of certain motor vehicles. Finding that local governments’ ability to legislate in this area has been preempted by Florida law, we reverse the trial court’s order and judgment, and remand for further proceedings.

The Local Governments

Bay County is a non-charter county and therefore has the “power of self-government as is provided by general or special law.” Art. YIII, § 1(f), Fla. Const.1 The Florida Constitution further provides:

The board of county commissioners of a county not operating under a charter may enact, in a manner prescribed by general law, county ordinances not inconsistent with general or special law, but an ordinance in conflict with a municipal ordinance shall not be effective within the municipality to the extent of such conflict.

Id.; see also § 126.01(1), Fla. Stat. (2014).

The City of Panama City Beach is a municipality established by Florida law. Panama City Beach Charter, Art. 1, § 1-1. As such, the Florida Constitution provides that:

Municipalities shall have governmental, corporate and proprietary powers to enable them to conduct municipal government, perform municipal functions and [782]*782render municipal services, and may exercise any power for municipal purposes except as otherwise provided by law.

Art. VIII, § 2(b), Fla. Const.; see also § 166.021(1), Fla. Stat. (2014).

The powers granted to non-charter counties and municipalities therefore differ, with Panama City Beach having greater power to enact ordinances than Bay County. Because of the doctrine of preemption as discussed below, however, the difference in the power to enact ordinances between municipalities and non-charter counties is immaterial to our decision.

The Ordinances

Bay County Ordinance 14-12 amended section 24-91 (a) of the Bay County Code, which now provides:

It shall be unlawful for any person to rent, lease or hire within the county a motorcycle, motorscooter, moped or any other two- or three-wheeled, self-propelled vehicle, or solicit the same within the county, unless each of the following requirements is met:
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(3) For each motor scooter all occupants are outfitted with a fluorescent green highway safety vest meeting at a minimum Class 2 ANSI 107-2010 or equivalent revised standard^, upon the back of .which the word “RENTAL” is applied in black, block letters four inches high, and the occupants are not allowed to leave the rental business on the vehicle unless wearing the vest in a normal fashion.

The Bay County Code also makes it unlawful to operate any of the listed rented vehicles without wearing the required vest, § 24-91(d).

Bay County Ordinance 14-07 created section 24-97 of the Bay County Code. That section of code provides in pertinent part that each business renting, leasing, or hiring within the unincorporated area of Bay County & motorcycle, motor scooter, moped, or any other two- or three-wheeled, self-propelled vehicle, shall obtain the following minimum coverage:

Commercial general liability, with minimum limits of liability with no restrictive endorsements: $1,000,000.00 each occurrence, $1,000,000.00 general aggregate, $1,000,000.00 personal injury, and $1,000,000.00 products or completed operations [and].
Commercial auto liability coverage with minimum limits of $500,000.00 to include bodily injury and property damages arising out of ownership, maintenance or use of the moped/scooters.[2 ]

The Bay County Code also provides that it is a criminal offense, punishable as. a second degree misdemeanor, to not comply with vest and insurance provisions. § 24-99.2.

Panama City Beach Municipal Ordinance 1337, Art, VI § 22-100(a), provides:

It shall be unlawful for any person to rent, lease or hire within the City a motorcycle, motor scooter or any other two- or three-wheeled, self-propelled vehicle, or solicit the same within the City, unless each of the following requirements is met:
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(4) For each motor scooter rented, all occupants are outfitted with a fluorescent green highway safety vest meeting [783]*783at a minimum Class 2 ANSI 107-2010 or equivalent revised standards, upon -the back of which the word “RENTAL” is applied in black, block letters four inches (4") high, and the occupants are not allowed to leave the rental business on-the vehicle unless wearing the vest in a normal fashion.

The Panama City Beach Code also makes it unlawful to operate the rented vehicle without wearing the required vest. § 22-100(d).

Panama City Beach Municipal Ordinance 1387, Chapter 22, Art. VI § 22-100(a)10, provides:

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to rent, lease or hire within the City a motorcycle, motor scooter, moped or any other two- or three-wheeled, self-propelled vehicle, or solicit the same within the City, unless each of the following requirements is met:
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(10) The entity owning and renting a motorcycle or motor scooter shall have provided and have in effect a policy of insurance ... insuring the owner and operator of such rented scooter against loss from liability for bodily injury, death, and property damages ,.. [i]n the amount of $10,000 because of bodily injury to, or death of, one person in any one crash; and [sjubject to such limits for one person, in the amount of $20,000 because of bodily injury to, or death of, two or more persons in any one crash; and [i]n the amount of $10,000 because of injury to, or destruction of, property of other in any one crash.

The Panama City Beach Code also provides that it is a civil infraction, punishable by a civil penalty, to not comply with vest and insurance provisions. § 22-105.5.3

The Proceedings Below and this Appeal

When the litigation commenced, Appellant operated several businesses in Bay County and Panama City Beach, which rented motor vehicles subject to the vest and insurance ordinances of the local governments. Appellant sought a declaratory judgment declaring the ordinances exceeded the scope of the authority of the local governments. Appellant also sought damages for lost revenue because, it alleged, its motor scooter rental businesses could not fully operate because the required insurance could not be obtained., All parties moved for summary judgment arguing no disputed material facts existed. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the local governments and then entered a final judgment consistent with the summary judgment.

• Here Appellant challenges the trial court’s decision finding the local governments’ ordinances concerning vest and insurance requirements to be a valid exercise of local authority.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
201 So. 3d 779, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 14507, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/classy-cycles-inc-v-bay-county-fladistctapp-2016.