State v. City of Venice

2 So. 2d 365, 147 Fla. 70, 1941 Fla. LEXIS 1241
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMay 9, 1941
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 2 So. 2d 365 (State v. City of Venice) 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
State v. City of Venice, 2 So. 2d 365, 147 Fla. 70, 1941 Fla. LEXIS 1241 (Fla. 1941).

Opinion

Buford, J.

The appeal brings for review decree validating certain refunding bonds. Appellant presents six questions for our consideration, as follows:

“Question No. 1. Where the Resolution of Petitioner providing for refunding municipal bonds which resolution is a part of the Petition seeking validation, shows that said municipality, as a part of its refunding plan, reserves the right to levy taxes for the payment of such refunding bonds, upon property which is not then within the territorial limits of such municipality, is not such property and the owners of such property which is not within the territorial limits of such municipality necessary parties to said cause, and is it not essential to jurisdiction over such property, not within such municipality, that legal process be served upon such property which is outside the municipality?”
“Question No. 2. Where a ‘Notice to Taxpayers and Citizens’ of a designated municipality is published, requiring them to show cause why certain bonds should not be validated, as such notice is required by *72 Section 5107, Compiled General Laws of Florida, 1927, and which Statute provides that by such publication the court acquires jurisdiction over all taxpayers and citizens of such municipality, does the court thereby acquire jurisdiction over property which is not at such time within such municipality?”
“Question No. 3. Where a municipality, without the approving vote of a majority of the freeholders who are qualified electors of such municipality, proposes to issue refunding bonds which pledge larger resources of such municipality than secured the original bonds, or which materially alter the original taxpayers obligation upon the original bonds, is not such proposed pledge of larger resources or proposed alteration of the taxpayers original obligation, an unjustified extension of the obligation of contract, and prohibited by Section 6 of Article IX of the Constitution of the State of Florida, as amended?”
“Question No. 4. Where it appears that when the original bonds were issued, and without a bond election as provided by the City Charter, ten per cent of each bond was not secured by any improvement assessment lien, against any specific property, but was solely a general obligation of the municipality to be paid from the general fund of the municipality, does not this make such original bonds void as not having been issued in accord with the provisions of the City Charter?”
“Question No. 5. Where the various answers plead that the best interests of the taxpayers of the bonding unit will not be conserved by the issuance of refunding bonds, was it not error for the lower court to hold that such-pleadings were insufficient in law and presented no valid objections of law or fact to the *73 validation of said refunding bonds, and was it not error for said court to overrule said pleading?”
“Question No. 6. Where the Resolution of Petitioner providing for refunding municipal bonds, which resolution is a part of the Petition seeking validation, shows that said municipality, as a part of its refunding plan, reserves the right to levy taxes for the payment of such refunding bonds, upon property which is not then within the territorial limits of such municipality, does not this provision for municipal taxing of lands not within the municipality create a fatal defect in the bond refunding proceedings, by seeking to secure judicial approval of municipal taxing power beyond that of its charter, and was not the court without power to decree that the municipality had such taxing-power?”

The basis of Question 1 is that in the refunding resolution it is provided: “The City reserves the right to levy such taxes as may lawfully be imposed for the payment of such Refunding Bonds upon all property within the boundaries of the City as they existed at the time of the issuance of the bonds refunded, which is not within the existing territorial limits of the City.” It appears from the record that this provision was included in the resolution because certain territory was within the municipality at the time the original bonds were issued but was thereafter excluded from the territorial limits of the municipality by legislative enactment.

Whether or not the excluded lands are subject to taxation and may be lawfully taxed to produce funds with which to pay the obligations of the original bonds is a question not involved in this proceeding, but it was and is both proper and necessary for the City-to reserve whatever right it had when the original *74 bonds were issued to lawfully tax all lands within the territorial limits, notwithstanding that some of s.aid lands may have subsequently been excluded therefrom. See A. C. L. R. R. Co. v. City of Lakeland, 130 Fla. 72, 177 Sou. 206, 215; State v. City of Lakeland, 132 Fla. 489, 180 Sou. 754; State v. City of Auburndale, 144 Fla. 210, 197 Sou. 139; State v. City of Fort Myers, 145 Fla. 135, 198 Sou. 414, 818; City of Winter Haven v. Klemm, 132 Fla. 334, 181 Sou. 153.

The second question challenges the sufficiency of the notice to citizens and taxpayers to bring into court taxpayers of the excluded district. We hold that the contention is without merit. If the lands once included within the corporate limits and afterwards excluded from the corporate limits were such as were then and continued to be subject to taxation to raise funds to meet the bond obligation, then the owners of such lands are taxpayers of the City of Venice in contemplation of law and the notice to citizens and taxpayers was sufficient to reach and to bring before the court such owners of such lands so subject to taxation.

Under question three appellant’s contention is partly the same that is presented under question five which will be discussed hereafter, and also that under the resolution authorizing the refunding bonds and in the refunding bonds there is pledged larger resources than is pledged to secure the original bonds which would require the affirmative action in an election; and that the refunding bonds increase the obligation because in the refunding bonds there is included the accrued interest on the original bonds, and the obligation requires the City to pay interest on the amount of the original bonds plus the amount of accrued and defaulted interest on the original defaulted bonds.

*75 Section 2 of Chapter 15772, Acts of 1931, the general refunding Act, expressly provides that every city is authorized to issue pursuant to proper resolution without the approval of an election, bonds for the purpose of refunding any and all bonds, coupons or interest on any such bonds and Section 8 of the Act provides that refunding bonds issued under the provisions of that Act may be exchanged for not less than an amount equal to the principal and accrued interest on the indebtedness to be retired thereby. We have repeatedly held that refunding bonds may be issued for the purpose of refunding both principal and interest without the approval of the electors. See Sullivan v. City of Tampa, 101 Fla. 298, 134 Sou. 211; State v. City of Coral Gables, 114 Fla. 326, 154 Sou. 234; State v. City of Miami, 116 Fla. 517, 157 Sou. 13; Fleeman v. City of Jacksonville, 140 Fla.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Vicki Thomas v. Clean Energey Coastal Corridor, etc.
176 So. 3d 249 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2015)
Robert R. Reynolds v. Leon County Energy Improvement District, etc.
176 So. 3d 254 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2015)
Lipford v. Harris
212 So. 2d 766 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1968)
Renicks v. City of Lake Worth
18 So. 2d 769 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1944)
State v. City of Miami Beach
16 So. 2d 344 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1944)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2 So. 2d 365, 147 Fla. 70, 1941 Fla. LEXIS 1241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-city-of-venice-fla-1941.