Continental Developers & Conversions, Inc. v. Department of Revenue

17 Fla. Supp. 2d 8
CourtCircuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida
DecidedFebruary 19, 1986
DocketCase No. 84-2572-CA-01-HDH
StatusPublished

This text of 17 Fla. Supp. 2d 8 (Continental Developers & Conversions, Inc. v. Department of Revenue) 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
Continental Developers & Conversions, Inc. v. Department of Revenue, 17 Fla. Supp. 2d 8 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

HUGH D. HAYES, Circuit Judge.

THIS CAUSE came on for the Court’s review based upon a Motion for Summary Judgment having been filed by both the Plaintiff and the Defendant pursuant to Rule 1.510, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. Based upon argument of counsel for each party, as well as a review of the memos of law filed by respective counsel, the Court finds that the [9]*9Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment should be granted and concomitantly, the Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment must be denied. The basis of the Court’s opinion follows:

I. JOINT STIPULATION OF FACTS

Initially, it must be pointed out that counsel for the respective parties herein stipulated to a joint statement of the operative facts which were controlling in this case. The stipulation, along with its exhibits is attached to this Order as Appendix I. Parenthetically, the Court should point out that the facts are fairly straightforward regarding the sale and purchase of the vessel “Windsong’s Lady”; however, for purposes of this Opinion, the Court should emphasize that Paragraph Seven (7), relating to the Vessel’s seaworthiness, was quite important.

II. REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF DEFENDANTS POSITION

The Department of Revenue essentially argues that the Plaintiffs vessel was stored and used in the State of Florida and, more specifically, because repairs were made under the authority and direction of the Plaintiff at one of Plaintiffs residences located in Naples, Florida, that the “use tax” provision of Chapter 212 of the Florida Statutes was triggered. The relevant portions of F. S. 212 being argued by Defendant are delineated as follows:

SALES, STORAGE, USE TAX — It is hereby declared to be the legislative intent that every person is exercising a taxable privilege who engages in the business of selling tangible personal property at retail in this state, or who rents or furnishes any of the things or services taxable under this chapter, or who stores for use or consumption in this state an item or article of tangible personal property as defined herein and who leases or rents such property within the state.

(1) For the exercise of such privilege, a tax is levied on each taxable transaction or incident, which tax is due and payable as follows:
(b) At the rate of 5 percent of the cost of each item or article of tangible personal property when the same is not sold but is used, consumed, distributed, or stored for use or consumption in this state.

Likewise, the Florida legislature has defined the terms “storage” and “use” in F. S. 212.02(7) and (8), which provide:

(7) “Storage” means and includes any keeping or retention in this state of tangible personal property for use or consumption in this [10]*10state or for any purpose other than sale at retail in the regular course of business.
(8) “Use” means and includes the exercise of any right or power over tangible personal property incident to the ownership thereof, or interest therein, except that it does not include the sale at retail of that property in the regular course of business.

Thus, unless the Plaintiff falls into one of the exemptions of statute or case law, the Defendant argues that pursuant to F. S. 212.21(2) it is the legislative intent of this state to tax each and every sale, admission, use, storage, consumption or rental levied as set forth in the statute.

Even though neither the research of the Defendant nor that of the Plaintiff produced any cases that fit squarely within the facts of the case before the Court today, the Defendant does cite two Florida cases and one Arkansas case which provide support to its line of argument.

In Klosters Rederi A/S, d/b/a Norwegian Caribbean Lines v. The State of Florida, Department of Revenue, 348 So.2d 656 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977), the Defendant argues that the breadth of the term “use” was demonstrated to include ship’s supplies which were delivered to the ship’s port facility for use during the course of cruises conducted outside of the state and in foreign commerce.

The Plaintiff in Klosters argued that since these supplies were not used primarily within the state, they should not be taxed. However, the Third District Court of Appeal, per Judge Hendry, correctly pointed out that the particular items taxed were characterized as “expendable”, and included such items as toilet paper, kleenex, laundry bags and party supplies. The only real significance of the opinion seems to be that because the items were immediately expendable and theoretically as well as realistically could be used or expended by the passengers when they first came on board ship and yet had not cast off or left the docks, that they were not exempt.

The breadth and expanse of this case really does not appear to be clearly applicable to the current fact situation before the Court today because the stipulated set of facts clearly demonstrates that all immediately expendable items in this case, including supplies, parts and labor, were properly paid for by the Plaintiff including the applicable sales tax.

Likewise, the case of State Department of Revenue v. Anderson, 403 So.2d 397 (Fla. 1981), is distinguishable because that case dealt with the failure of a boat purchaser in a sale/leaseback transaction to properly file for the sales tax exemption available to one who basically [11]*11would qualify as a “dealer”. There is no purchase for resale in the stipulation of facts before the Court today. Ironically, the Defendant’s reliance upon the exemption provision of F. S. 212.05(2) seems to be misplaced because it appears to relate to the sales tax exemption provided by F. S. 212.05(l)(a) and not to a use tax imposed under F. S. 212.05(l)(b). Specifically, the F. S. 212.05(l)(a)(2) exemption demonstrates that the sales tax paragraph does not apply to the sale of a boat by or through a registered dealer to a purchaser who removes the boat from the state within ten (10) days. Since the Plaintiffs vessel in the present case was acquired outside the territorial waters of Florida, the sales tax provision and its exemptions are not applicable.

Lastly, the Defendant argues in support of its position the case of Skelton v. Federal Express Corporation, 531 S.W. 2d 941 (Ark. 1976). Unfortunately, this case is just as supportive of the Plaintiffs position as that of the Defendant.

In Skelton, the Arkansas Supreme Court was forced to use a very strict and literal interpretation of its statute, which is very similar to that used by the State of Florida, in order to find that a “use” and “storage” had occurred within that state.

Basically, the facts demonstrated that Federal Express Corporation was an interstate air-carrier of small packages and freight, with its principal place of business in Tennessee. Federal Express would purchase aircraft and transport them in interstate commerce to Arkansas, where each aircraft received necessary and substantial modifications to its body and structure before it could be used in the interstate air-carrier operations of Federal Express. The aircraft, while in Arkansas, received extensive modifications, and as each aircraft was completed, it was delivered to the principal place of business of Federal Express in Tennessee.

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Related

Minnesota v. Blasius
290 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1933)
Calhoun v. Brendle, Inc.
502 So. 2d 689 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1986)
State Dept. of Revenue v. Anderson
403 So. 2d 397 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1981)
United States v. Majure
162 F. Supp. 594 (S.D. Mississippi, 1957)
State Ex Rel. Leathers v. Coleman
166 So. 226 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1936)
Whitehead & Kales Co. v. Green
113 So. 2d 732 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1959)
Rederi v. State, Department of Revenue
348 So. 2d 656 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1977)
Skelton v. Federal Express Corp.
531 S.W.2d 941 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1976)
United States v. New York Central Railroad
272 U.S. 457 (Supreme Court, 1926)

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Bluebook (online)
17 Fla. Supp. 2d 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/continental-developers-conversions-inc-v-department-of-revenue-flacirct-1986.