Cone v. State Ex Rel. Crane

187 So. 593, 136 Fla. 828
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMarch 24, 1939
StatusPublished

This text of 187 So. 593 (Cone v. State Ex Rel. Crane) 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
Cone v. State Ex Rel. Crane, 187 So. 593, 136 Fla. 828 (Fla. 1939).

Opinion

Buford, J.

— In this case the writ of error brings for review judgment of the Circuit Court of Leon county awarding peremptory writ of mandamus, the command of which is as follows:

“These are, Therefore, to Command You, Fred P. Cone, J. M. Lee and W. V. Knott, in the capacities in which you are herein enjoined, to forthwith provide for the payment to Relator, out of the interest and sinking fund monies held for the credit of Atlantic-Gulf Special Road and Bridge District of Indian River and Osceola Counties', Florida, and *829 described in said alternative writ of mandamus, the sum of $2,000.00, on the past due bonds declared on, to-wit:
“Bonds Nos. 250 and 252 of Atlantic-Gulf Special Road and Bridge District of Indian River and Osceola Counties, Florida, of the issue of September 1, 1925, and which are now past due and unpaid in the amount of $1,000.00 each
And upon the presentation and surrender of said bonds for cancellation, to cause such payment to be made by issuing, delivering and honoring any and all checks or state warrants necessary to accomplish same; and that you make a return to the Court on or before the 28th day of June, 1937, howing your compliance with the commands hereof.”

The record shows that the district was created under the provisions of Chapter 11127, Acts of 1925. At the time of the passage of the Act the territory was in St. Lucie and Osceola Counties'. By Chapter 10148, Acts of 1925, Indian River county was created and the territory embraced in that county embraced a part of the territory of the Special Road and Bridge District which was formerly within the territory of St. Lucie County.

A Board of Bond Trustees was created under the provisions of Chapter 11127, supra. This Board was authorized to call elections within the district to determine whether or not bonds should be issued. Such election was called and bonds were authorized.

The legislative Act, supra, further provided that the taxes required to be levied should be authorized by Resolution of the Board duly entered upon its Minutes and certified copies of such Resolution executed in the name of the Board should be made and delivered to the Board of County Commissioners of the respective counties not later than the 1st day of August in each and every year. And it required the. Board of County Commissioners of the respective counties to order and require the County Tax Assessor of each county *830 to assess and the County Tax Collector thereof to collect the amount of taxes so assessed or levied by the Board of Bond Trustees upon the taxable property in the respective counties at the rate of taxation, adopted by said Board of Bond Trustees and included in said Resolution; and that the levy of such taxes should be included in the warrant of the Tax Assessor and attached to the assessment roll of taxes for each of the respective counties each year.

The Act further provided that it should be the duty of the Board of Bond Trustees out of the proceeds of taxes levied and imposed pursuant to the Act and out of any other moneys in possession of said Board, to apply the same so far as should be necessary to pay the interest upon said bonds as the same should mature and to provide and set aside a sinking fund for the payment of the interest of the bonds and to pay the bonds at the maturity thereof.

It was provided that the sinking fund for the payment of the principal bonds should not be appropriated or used for any other purpose than the payment of the principal.

Under the provisions of Chapter 14486, Acts of 1929, and Acts amendatory thereof, the interest and sinking fund of said district is required to be administered by the Board of Administration of the State of Florida, the respondents herein.

Under these provisions, a fund is accumulated in the hands of the Board of Administration of the State of Florida sufficient to pay the amount in default on relator’s coupons involved in this suit.

The return of the respondents contains the following pertinent allegations:

“Answering numbered paragraph 5, they say that they have already, in numbered paragraph 2 of this Return, answered the same. Except as may be stated in said numbered paragraph 2, they specially deny the allegations *831 thereof. Further answering said parargraph, they specifically deny that for the year 1936-37, and years prior thereto, the respective Boards of County Commissioners of Indian River and of Osceola County levied any such taxes, as therein referred to. On the contrary, they say that under the provisions of law, it is neither the function nor the duty of either of said Boards to levy any such taxes', but that such levy is the function and duty of said Board of Bond Trustees of said district. Further on the contrary, they say that while during certain years subsequent to the issuance of the bonds herein before in this Return referred to, certain taxes were levied -by the Board of Bond Trustees aforesaid, yet there was no such levy, as hereinafter in this Return will appear, for the fiscal year 1936-37.
“6. Answering numbered paragraph 6, these respondents deny that the Board of County Commissioners of either of said counties of Indian River and Osceola did, upon the passage and adoption of Chapter 14486, Laws of Florida, Acts of 1929, remit to the respondent Knott, as ex officio County Treasurer of said Counties, or either of them, or otherwise, the accumulated sinking funds of the aforesaid issues of bonds. On the contrary, they say that such remittance of sinking funds was made under and pursuant to the said chapter, by the Board of Bond Trustees of said district. Further answering said numbered paragraph, they admit that from time to time, the proceeds of such tax collections,, from taxes' levied by said Board of Bond Trustees, have been remitted to the respondent Knott, as ex officio Treasurer of said Counties of Indian River and Osceola, and that the proceeds of delinquent taxes, levied for the purpose of paying the principal and interest of bonds of the aforesaid issues, have from time to time also been remitted to these respondents, or their predecessors' in office.
“Further answering said numbered paragraph, they admit *832 that said Board of Bond Trustees has never invoked or adopted the provisions of Chapter 15891, Laws of Florida, Acts of 1933, relative to the purchase of bonds. Further answering, they say that said Chapter 15891 speaks for its'elf. Still further answering, they admit that the Attorney General of Florida rendered the opinion referred to in said paragraph.

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Related

State ex rel. Harris v. City of Fort Pierce
149 So. 338 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1933)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
187 So. 593, 136 Fla. 828, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cone-v-state-ex-rel-crane-fla-1939.