Douglas Properties v. Stix

159 So. 1, 118 Fla. 354, 1935 Fla. LEXIS 1712
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJanuary 30, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 159 So. 1 (Douglas Properties v. Stix) 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
Douglas Properties v. Stix, 159 So. 1, 118 Fla. 354, 1935 Fla. LEXIS 1712 (Fla. 1935).

Opinion

Ellis, P. J.

The Douglas Properties, a Florida Corporation, was the owner in March, 1925, of certain lots of land in the City of Miami described as Lots Three (3), Four (4), Seventeen (17) and Eighteen (18) of Block One Hundred and Twenty-two (122) North, according to a plat thereof made by Knowlton, and had the right to the use of an alley ten feet in width running along the east side of lot sixteen. It executed a ninety-nine year lease upon that property to Flagler Street Company, a Florida Corporation, in March, 1925, which lease was duly recorded. The annual rental agreed to be paid was seventy-five thousand dollars, payable quarterly.

*356 The lease contained a covenant to the effect that if the tenant should decide to erect a building upon the premises and it became necessary to borrow money on a mortgage or deed of trust for the “purpose of financing the building,” then in such event the owner would unite with the tenant in the execution of a mortgage to encumber the fee.

After the execution of the lease the Flagler Street Company constructed a building on the leased premises and it became necessary to obtain money to pay for the same. The Douglas Properties Corporation, on September 25, 1925, joined with Flagler Street Company and the Venetian Arcade Company, the lessee of Flagler Street Company, in the execution of a mortgage upon the described premises to secure an indebtedness of three hundred thousand dollars, which mortgage was recorded in the public records of Dade County.

The Douglas Properties Corporation was" organized for the purpose of engaging in the business of owning, holding, operating and dealing in real estate. The mortgage was executed for the purpose of raising funds with which to finance the construction of the building, which was of a substantial and permanent character and increased the value of the premises and of the interests of the Douglas Properties therein.

In August, 1927, nearly two years after the execution of the mortgage of September, 1925, the Flagler Street Company, the holder of the ninety-nine year lease, became indebted to St. Louis Union Trust Company, a Missouri .Corporation, and Charles H. Stix, as trustees, in the sum of three hundred thousand dollars. That debt was evidenced by three hundred and thirty-eight First Mortgage six and one-half per cent. Bonds, dated August 1, 1927, which bonds were delivered to the named Trustees. Two hun *357 dred and eighty-two of the bonds were in denominations of one thousand dollars each; thirty-one in denominations of five hundred dollars each, and twenty-five in denominations of one hundred dollars each. The first fifteen bonds were payable August 1, 1929; fifteen were payable one year later; sixteen were payable on August 1, 1931. All the bonds of one thousand dollars denomination were payable in blocks of seventeen, eighteen and nineteen on the first day of each recurring year successively, up to and including August, 1936; one hundred and forty-seven of the thousand dollars bonds were payable in August, 1937. The five hundred and one hundred dollars bonds were also payable August 1, 1937.

The bonds were payable to bearer or to the registered holder thereof. The accumulating interest was payable semi-annually on the first days of February and August of each year.

To secure the payment of the principal and interest on the bonds The Flagler Street Company and the Douglas Properties executed and delivered to St. Louis Union Trust Company and Charles H. Stix, as Trustees, a mortgage dated August 1, 1927, upon the leasehold estate of Flagler Street Company and the fee simple estate held by the Douglas Properties.

The mortgage deed was duly recorded. On May 8, 1933, Charles H. Stix, as Trustee, exhibited his bill in chancery in the Circuit Court for Dade County for the enforcement of the mortgage lien of August 1, 1927. He joined as defendants Douglas Properties, Flagler Street Company, Venetian Arcade Company, a corporation, Venetian Securities and Investment Company, a corporation, E. B. Douglas Company, a corporation, M. A. Smith, as Liquidator of Biscayne Trust Company, a corporation, M. A. *358 Smith, as Liquidator of Bank of Bay Biscayne, R. M. Price, as Receiver, and United States of America.

By an amendment to the bill, filed May 17, 1933, John C. Knight was added as a defendant, and another paragraph was added, numbered III-K, in which it was alleged that the Douglas Properties agreed as part of the consideration for the lease executed to Flagler Street Company that if the lessee decided to erect a building on the premises and it became necessary to borrow money on a mortgage or deed of trust to enable the lessee to finance the building that the Douglas Properties would join in the execution of the mortgage to secure the payment of the debt incurred for that purpose; that the lessee decided to erect the building and the two corporations executed the mortgage of September, 1925; that prior to the execution of the mortgage of August 1, 1927, sought to be foreclosed in these proceedings, Douglas Properties, as an inducement to the making of the loan, represented that the funds obtained would be used in paying off and satisfying the indebtedness secured by the mortgage of September, 1925, that the complainant relied upon such representations, and that the mortgage was satisfied and cancelled of record on December 6, 1927.

Another amendment was made in July, 1933, designed to make clearer the Douglas Properties interest in and to the alley on the east side of Lot Sixteen.

The bill alleged that forty-six of the bonds which matured on or prior to August 1, 1931, were paid, and all interest on the indebtedness was paid to and including February 1, 1932; that the mortgagors failed to pay the bonds numbered forty-seven to sixty-three, inclusive, which became due August 1, 1932, and they also failed to pay the interest falling due on bonds numbered forty-seven to three hundred *359 and thirty-eight, inclusive, which interest became due August 1, 1932, and February 1, 1933.

It is alleged that upon such occurring the Trustees have written notice to both mortgagors of such default by depositing such notices in the United States mails, postage prepaid, addressed to the parties at Miami.

Copies of the notices were attached to the bill and made a part of.it. After notifying the parties of the default the notices contained the following clause:

“This notice of default is given you in accordance with the terms and provisions of said mortgage deed of trust, and in particular in accordance with the terms and provisions of Section 4 of Article V of said mortgage deed of trust, in order to enable the undersigned, as such trustees, in the event that said default shall not be cured in accordance with the terms of said mortgage deed of trust, to take such action with respect thereto as may be permitted -to, or required of the undersigned trustees by law and by the terms of said mortgage deed of trust.”

A copy of the mortgage was attached to the bill and made a part of it.

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Bluebook (online)
159 So. 1, 118 Fla. 354, 1935 Fla. LEXIS 1712, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/douglas-properties-v-stix-fla-1935.