Martha Bright Farms, Inc. v. Broward County Port Authority

158 So. 70, 117 Fla. 361
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedSeptember 4, 1934
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 158 So. 70 (Martha Bright Farms, Inc. v. Broward County Port Authority) 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
Martha Bright Farms, Inc. v. Broward County Port Authority, 158 So. 70, 117 Fla. 361 (Fla. 1934).

Opinions

Per Curiam.

By Chapter 10552, Acts of 1925,- the then' existing municipality of the City of Fort Lauderdale was abolished and a new chapter with elaborate administrative and taxing powers "was enacted for the City of Fort Lauder-dale, in Broward County, Florida. Chapter 11519, Acts of 1925, established the'municipality of City'of Hollywood,in Broward County, Florida, with extensive administrative and taxing powers, The validity of this charter was; sustained against the attacks made in State ex rel. Attorney General v. Johns, 92 Fla. 187, 109 So. 228.

, In 1926 under statutory provisions contained -in their respective charters, the City of Hollywood and the City of. Fort Lauderdale, two separate municipalities situated on and adjacent to the Atlantic coast in the State of Florida, issued bonds of .the .cities respectively. Proceeds of the. bonds were us'ed for the construction of a public’deep-water port and harbor located in part in each city, and each, city confined its construction activities to the portion of the port and harbor within its limits. The port or harbor was at first called “Lake Mabel,” rfow “Port Evergladés.” ’ City óf Fort Lauderdale and City of Hollywood each issued two million dollars' of bonds' for port construction, which bonds were validated by statutory judicial proceedings under Section's 5106 (3296) et seq. C. G. L., before.the bbnds were *364 sold, and the validating decrees were not appealed from. The bonds, issued by City of Fort Lauderdale were validated by Chapter 12739, Acts of 1927. See also Chapter 12877, Acts of 1927, as to the indebtedness of City of Hollywood.

Chapter 12562, Acts of 1927, established the Broward County Port District, a governmental taxing unit covering territory embracing the City of Hollywood, the City of Fort Lauderdale and other areas including several towns and much unimproved and unoccupied area extending westward towards the Everglades. The governing authority of the District was the “Broward County Port Authority,” a statutory corporation composed of four freeholder electors of the district. The governmental district was established by statute for the purpose of acquiring, constructing or completing, maintaining and supervising a deep water port or harbor with auxiliary powers and privileges within the district. Chapter 12562 was amended by Chapter 13950, Acts of 1929, enlarging and specifying more definitely the functions of the district. Pursuant to statutory authority the municipal port or harbor was taken over and the bonds assümed by thé district. See also Chapter 1394, Acts of 1929. Chapter 15107, Acts of 1931, enacted a new charter of powers conferred upon Broward County Port District with broad specific powers and obligations including the following :

“Section 4. That the title, rights, ownership of property,, uncollected taxes due, claims, judgments, decrees and choses 'in action held or owned by the Broward County Port District, or its governing body, the Broward County Port Authority, shall pass to and be vested in the Broward County Port Authority, the governing body of the new Broward County Port District, established and organized *365 under this Act to take the place of and succeed the Broward County Port District hereby abolished.

“Section 5. That no obligations or contracts of the Broward County Port District and/or the Broward County Port Authority, including bonds heretofore issued or authorized or assumed by the Broward County Port District shall be impaired or avoided ■ by .this Act, but any such ■debts and obligations shall pass to and be binding upon the new Broward County Port District and/or Broward County Port Authority, which is hereby organized and •created. That the bonded indebtedness of the City of Fort Lauderdale, and of the City of Hollywood, Florida, heretofore assumed by the Broward County Port District under the Port Act herein repealed shall be the valid and binding ■obligation of the Broward County Port District hereby created and established.”

In 1932 upon petitions filed by holders of harbor bonds issued by the City of Fort Lauderdale and the City of Hollywood respectively, and assumed by the Broward County Port District, under statutory authority, alternative writs of mandamus were issued by this court requiring the obligations of the bonds to be met by ad valorem taxation throughout the district as provided by the statutes controlling the subject. The writs were address'ed to the governing authority of the Broward County Port District, to-wit: the Broward County Port Authority, a corporation, and the four members composing such corporation under the statute creating the Broward County Port District.

A petition by taxpayers of Broward County Port District for leave to intervene to resist the granting of a peremptory writ of mandamus in one of the cases was denied without prejudice. State ex rel. v. Ryan, et al., 103 Fla. 1136, 139 So. 138. The City of Hollywood was made a party respondent. State ex rel. v. Ryan, 106 Fla. 386, 143 So. 297.

*366 The defenses pleaded in the mandamus cases in effect challenged the validity of the harbor bonds as issued by the City of Fort Lauderdale and the City of Hollywood, respectively,, and also the validity of the assumption by the district' of obligation to pay the bonds. Such defenses were adjudged to be insufficient and overruled, the court holding the bonds were legal obligations of the Broward County Port District. State ex rel. Davis, v. Ryan, et al., ......Fla., ....., 151 So. 416; 158 So. 62, State, ex rel. Ake v. Broward County Port Authority, ---Fla. —, 151 So. 718, 158 So. 62. (These two cases have not been released .by Court.)

In the opinion filed December 7, 1933, in Davis-Ryan .case above cited, at page 418 So. Rep., it is s'aid:

“Whether or not individual landowners having properties situate within, and subject to, the tax burdens of the Broward County port district,' have a justiciable cause of complaint' against the exercise of the district’s taxing power with respect to their individual properties, because of a •palpable abuse of the legislative power in the inclusion of their lands within the boundaries of the district, is a question not capable of being tried in a mandamus proceeding ■of this kind; therefore the speciál defenses sought to be interposed herein on their behalf by the respondent district officials must be stricken, without prejudice to the indir vidual rights of any of such taxpayers to pursue appropriate proceedings to have any complaint made by them duly adjudicated.”

Rehearings were asked for in the mandam.us cases against the officials' of the Broward County Port District. There .was a full reargument on the entire merits of the cases as presented..

In the opinion denying rehearings, filed May 15, 1934, but not yet reported, if is stated:

*367 “It is not made to appear as against the' statutes and the ■court decrees that the mhnicipal bonds were issued tó obtain money or credit for private parties.

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158 So. 70, 117 Fla. 361, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martha-bright-farms-inc-v-broward-county-port-authority-fla-1934.