Leon County v. Gluesenkamp

873 So. 2d 460, 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 6474, 2004 WL 1058451
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedMay 10, 2004
Docket1D02-4658
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 873 So. 2d 460 (Leon County v. Gluesenkamp) 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
Leon County v. Gluesenkamp, 873 So. 2d 460, 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 6474, 2004 WL 1058451 (Fla. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

873 So.2d 460 (2004)

LEON COUNTY, Florida, Appellant,
v.
G.J. GLUESENKAMP, Jr., et al., Appellees.

No. 1D02-4658.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

May 10, 2004.

Herbert W.A. Thiele, County Attorney; Daniel J. Rigo, Assistant County Attorney, Tallahassee; Robert H. Freilich, Esq. of Freilich, Leitner & Carlisle, Kansas City, for Appellant.

*461 Carl R. Pennington, Jr., Esq. of Pennington, Moore, Wilkinson, Bell & Dunbar, P.A., Tallahassee, for Appellees.

VAN NORTWICK, J.

In another case arising out of the disputes concerning the land use regulation in the Bradfordville area of northern Leon County, the County appeals a partial final judgment and final judgment in favor of appellees, G.J. Gluesenkamp, Jr., Josephine Gluesenkamp, and Blue Chip Investment Partnership, a partnership owned by the Gluesenkamps. In the orders on appeal, the trial court ruled that the County had breached a Development Agreement between it and appellees' predecessors-in-interest by effectively prohibiting appellees from developing their Bradfordville area property pursuant to the Development Agreement and that the County's actions resulted in a compensable temporary taking of appellees' property. The trial court awarded appellees damages of $130,000, measured by the fair rental value of appellees' property during the period in which the County's actions prohibited the development of their property. Because the County's performance of its obligations under the Development Agreement was prevented by the existence of a court-ordered injunction, we conclude that the County did not breach the Development Agreement. Further, we hold that the delay in the development of appellees' property did not constitute a compensable temporary taking under Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 535 U.S. 302, 122 S.Ct. 1465, 152 L.Ed.2d 517 (2002), and Bradfordville Phipps Limited Partnership v. Leon County, 804 So.2d 464 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001), review denied, 829 So.2d 916 (Fla.2002). Accordingly, we reverse and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Factual and Procedural Background

On December 6, 1995, the County amended the 2010 Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan by adding Land Use Goal 8 (Goal 8), which provided for the development and implementation of a comprehensive stormwater management plan for the Bradfordville Study Area (BSA). On February 24, 1998, the County entered into a Development Agreement with appellees' predecessors-in-interest, Robert G. Lauder, Wilma B. Lauder, and Fred J. Petty (jointly, the Lauders), which set forth the terms under which the Lauders and the County would work together in the planning and acquisition of property for certain long-planned road expansion projects in the BSA, including a regional stormwater management facility. The real property subject to the Development Agreement included 178.58 acres owned by the Lauders and 1.3 acres owned by the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT). Pursuant to the Development Agreement, the Lauders agreed to transfer to the County 10.879 acres for the construction of regional stormwater management facilities, control structures, and inflow structures to handle any runoff from the property. The County and DOT were to be responsible for any required environmental studies and all design, engineering, regulatory approval, permitting, and construction of the stormwater facility. The Lauders agreed to pay the County a one-time maintenance fee of $90,000 in the event that improvements on their property connected to the stormwater facility. The Development Agreement also provided that the Lauders, their grantees, assignees, or lessees would be responsible for obtaining the necessary development orders for any improvements on the property governed by the Development Agreement, except for the construction of the stormwater management facility.

*462 On April 27, 1998, various parties filed suit challenging the County's adherence to the Comprehensive Plan including, among other things, the action of the County in entering into the Development Agreement (the Lake McBride Action). On April 30, 1998, appellees purchased three lots from the Lauders for a price of approximately $600,000; these lots were a portion of the property subject to the Development Agreement. On December 15, 1998, the trial court entered a written injunction order in the Lake McBride Action, prohibiting the County

from issuing any future building permits or other development permits authorizing construction within the Bradfordville Study Area until such time as the County comes into compliance with 8.1, 8.3.1 and 8.5.2 of the Land Use Element of the Tallahassee/Leon County Comprehensive Plan.

Although the injunction, which was to be dissolved when the County remedied its non-compliance with the Comprehensive Plan, was not to apply to any activities already grandfathered in by law, it was applicable to all pending and future permit applications. On January 12, 1999, the County and the plaintiffs in the Lake McBride Action entered into an Interim Settlement Agreement (ISA), by which the County agreed not to appeal the injunction order. The following day, the trial court modified its injunction by excluding from its scope certain properties as agreed upon by the County and the Lake McBride plaintiffs. The appellees' property remained subject to the injunction.

In February 1999, appellees prepared plans and specifications for the purpose of constructing a single-family residence on one of their three lots and applied for a building permit and an environmental management permit. That same month, the County informed appellees by letter that it was unable to issue a development permit due to the court's injunction in the Lake McBride Action.

On March 2, 1999, appellees filed the action against the County which is the subject of this appeal, asserting five claims for relief, including claims for inverse condemnation, declaratory relief, specific performance, breach of contract, and injunctive relief. With respect to the breach of contract claim, appellees alleged that the County beached the Development Agreement by failing and refusing to issue appellees a building permit as required by that contract. With respect to the inverse condemnation claim, appellees alleged that the County's acts and omissions, including entering into the ISA, agreeing to actively take steps to breach the Development Agreement, and agreeing not to appeal the injunction order, constituted a substantial interference with appellees' property rights resulting in a taking of appellees' property.

On December 14, 1999, as part of its efforts to comply with the Comprehensive Plan and the injunction in the Lake McBride Action, the County adopted an Interim Development Ordinance (IDO), restricting the issuance of development permits for land in the BSA. The IDO's term, which was limited to seven months unless extended by a majority vote of the Board of County Commissioners, served to allow the County to complete all necessary studies with regard to the stormwater issues in the BSA. On July 11, 2000, the County adopted an ordinance that implemented the provisions of Goal 8. On November 22, 2000, the trial court dissolved the injunction in the Lake McBride Action. On June 5, 2001, appellees sold their three lots for a price of $1,094,050.

On April 12, 2002, the trial court in the instant action entered its partial final judgment.

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Bluebook (online)
873 So. 2d 460, 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 6474, 2004 WL 1058451, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leon-county-v-gluesenkamp-fladistctapp-2004.