Harris v. Dade County

13 Fla. Supp. 2d 69
Circuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida·Decided August 23, 1985·No. Case No. 84-42383·Published

Opinion

[70] OPINION OF THE COURT

MARTIN GREENBAUM, Circuit Judge.

This cause has come to be heard upon the collective Motions to Dismiss filed of record by the various Defendants addressed to the Plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint.

The Plaintiffs, Mildred Harris and Barry Young, are property owners within the prescribed definition of the boundaries of the property that is the subject matter of this law suit, and as such will be referred to as Plaintiffs. (The court has permitted the Rolling Oaks Homeowners’ Association to be a party plaintiff but has restricted their representation to only those property owners residing within the prescribed area as established by the boundaries of notice as required by statute and ordinance and reserving them solely to the rights of the plaintiffs Harris and Young. It is specifically ordered that the Association has no additional rights whatsoever in this matter).

For descriptive purposes the Defendants shall be identified as follows: Dade County shall be known as The County; all the Mortons collectively shall be known as Morton; Dolphin Stadium Corp. shall be known as the Corporation; the State of Florida Department of Community Affairs and DOT shall be. known as State of Florida; South Florida Regional Planning Council shall be known as The Council and Merritt Steirheim, County Manager, shall be known as Manager.

This complaint involves property located in the Northwest section of Dade County, Florida, commonly described as the Lake Lucerne property. (The legal description is more particularly described in the exhibit attached hereto and made Court exhibit A.)* The Mortons have donated certain properties to the County subject to certain rights of reversion. The County has accepted the property with all the reversionary rights contained in the deeds of conveyance. The Corporation has entered into negotiations to lease the property from the County for the purposes of constructing a sports arena and attendant commercial properties.

The plaintiffs have filed a multi-count, multi-paragraph complaint in which they have set forth various legal objections to the progress of the development of this tract of land. The complaint reads in Recision, Declaratory Relief, Temporary Injunction and other relief which is set up in nine separate counts.

In addressing each count the Court is mindful of the manner in [71] which the counts are developed. Notwithstanding that there are overlappings of reliefs in the various counts, this Order shall address itself to each count and to those portions of the various counts which overlap and to those principles of law as they relate to the various counts.

This law suit was originally filed on the 21st day of December, 1984. The positions of the parties have been carefully and fully articulated in their Brief and citations that are appended to their brief.

Inasmuch as the court has determined that no constructive purpose would be accomplished, there shall be no further oral argument.

The plaintiffs are proper parties and have standing to institute this suit.

Special damage need not be shown if the taxpayer or property owner is within the affected range of the property which requires actual notice before the rezoning may be considered by the legislative body. Renard v. Dade County, 249 So.2d 500 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1971).

Provision 6 of the “Covenant Governing Land Development” applicable to the subject property provides:

6. Modification: Release:

This Agreement may be modified, amended or released as to any portion of the land described herein by a written instrument executed by the then-owner of the fee-simple title to the lands to be affected by such modification, amendment or release, along with a majority of the property owners within 350 ft. of the property for which such modification is proposed, as well as along with a majority of the property within 350 ft. of the property shown in the Plan, and approved after public hearing by Resolution of the Board of County Commissioner or Zoning Appeals Board of Metropolitan Dade County, Florida, whichever by law has jurisdiction over such subject matter. (Emphasis added).

The Supreme Court, in Renard v. Dade County, 261 So.2d 832 (Fla. 1972), held:

An aggrieved or adversely affected person having standing to sue is a person who has a legally recognizable interest which is or will be affected by the action of the zoning authority in question. The interest may be one shared in common with a number of other members of the community as where an entire neighborhood is affected.

In passing on a Motion to Dismiss the Court must assume all facts alleged in the complaint to be true, but, mere statements of opinion or conclusions unsupported by specific facts will not suffice. Sheir v. [72] Metropolitan Dade County, 375 So.2d 1114 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1979). The Court is required to consider all exhibits attached to and incorporate in the complaint. An inconsistency between general allegations of material fact in the complaint and specific facts revealed by the attached or incorporated exhibits shall have the effect of neutralizing the allegations, rendering the pleading objectionable. Pepper v. Lasseter, 247 So.2d 736 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1971).

Having considered all pleadings, exhibits attached thereto, and memoranda submitted by the parties, the Court addresses the issues raised therein.

COUNT I

ALLEGATIONS THAT GIFT OF PUBLIC LAND TO PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT DEVELOPER NOT A PUBLIC PURPOSE

The Dade County Board of County Commissioners is empowered by statute with the authority to acquire property for public purposes by purchase, lease, gift or bequest. Sections 125.01, 125.355, 127.01 and 159.03, Florida Statutes. See also 12 Fla.Jur.2d, Counties Sections 228-232.

Construction of a sports stadium has been determined, both legislatively and judicially, to be a proper public purpose and in the public interest to facilitate the development and construction of such capital projects.

The Florida Industrial Development Financing Act, Chapter 159, Florida Statutes, provides:

Section 159.26(3): In order to improve the prosperity and welfare of the state and its inhabitants ... to promote the rehabilitation of enterprise zones . . . and the economic development of the state, and to increase purchasing power and opportunities for gainful employment, it is necessary and in the public interest to facilitate the financing of the projects provided for in this part and to facilitate and encourage the planning and development of these projects . . . in order to more effectively and efficiently serve the interests of the greatest number of people in the widest area practicable; and
Section 159.26(4): The purposes to be achieved by such projects and the financing of them ... are predominantly the public purposes stated in this section.
Section 159.27(5): “Project” means any capital project comprising a . . . tourism facility.

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Harris v. Dade County, 13 Fla. Supp. 2d 69 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1985).

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