Town of Jupiter v. Byrd Family Trust

134 So. 3d 1098, 2014 WL 305124, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 1016
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJanuary 29, 2014
DocketNo. 4D13-2566
StatusPublished

This text of 134 So. 3d 1098 (Town of Jupiter v. Byrd Family Trust) 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
Town of Jupiter v. Byrd Family Trust, 134 So. 3d 1098, 2014 WL 305124, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 1016 (Fla. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

GROSS, J.

In this second-tier certiorari proceeding, the Town of Jupiter seeks review of a circuit court decision reversing in part a magistrate’s order in a code enforcement proceeding which imposed fines for the Byrd Family Trust’s unauthorized removal of 109 mangrove trees.1 Finding no de[1100]*1100parture from a clearly established principle of law, we deny the petition.

“Second-tier certiorari is not a second appeal; it is extraordinarily limited, and narrow in scope.” Advanced Chiropractic & Rehab. Ctr. Corp. v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 103 So.3d 866, 868 (Fla. 4th DCA 2012). Review is limited to whether the circuit court afforded procedural due process and whether it departed from a clearly established principle of law in such a way as to cause a miscarriage of justice. Id. (citing Custer Med. Ctr. v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 62 So.3d 1086, 1092 (Fla.2010)); Kirrie v. Indian River Cnty Code Enforcement Bd., 104 So.3d 1177, 1179 (Fla. 4th DCA 2012). “Ordinary legal errors, or application of the correct law incorrectly under the facts, are not sufficient grounds for a district court to grant second-tier certiorari.” Advanced Chiropractic, 103 So.3d at 868.

The circuit court opinion described the code enforcement proceedings as follows:

On December 16, 2010, the Town received a complaint that mangrove trees had been removed from the Trust’s property and that the surrounding area had been filled with sand. After an investigation, the Town found that mangroves had indeed been removed and that sand had been deposited on the property. The Trust did not have a permit to remove the mangroves or to place sand on the property. Consequently, on December 20, 2010, the Town issued a stop work order on the property to prevent the further removal of any mangrove trees. Thereafter, on February 16, 2011, the Town issued a Notice of Violation related to the removal of the mangroves from the Trust’s property and relating to the placement of sand on the property without a permit.
The Trust filed a Motion to Dismiss the Town’s Notice of Violation, challenging, inter alia, the Special Magistrate’s jurisdiction to regulate mangroves. On October 7, 2011, the Special Magistrate granted, in part, and denied, in part, the Motion to Dismiss. Significant to this appeal, the Special Magistrate found that the Town had jurisdiction to enforce state law relating to mangroves.
On January 23, 2012, the Special Magistrate issued a Violation Order finding that the Trust violated both Section 26-99 of the Jupiter Town Code, by failing to adhere to state statutes regulating the alteration of mangroves, and Section 24-83 of the Jupiter Town code by failing to obtain a permit for the placement of sand on the property. Based on these findings, the Special Magistrate fined the Trust $15,000 for each mangrove tree removed from the property resulting in a total fine of $1,635,000. The Special Magistrate also fined the Trust $15,000 for the placement of sand on the property without a permit. Finally, on March 23, 2012, the Special Magistrate awarded the Town attorney’s fees and costs against the Trust.

The Trust appealed to the circuit court, which held that the Town was without authority to regulate and enforce mangrove trimming and removal. The circuit court applied the correct law to the facts of the case. We agree with the circuit court’s detailed legal analysis on this point and incorporate it in this opinion:

The parties have stipulated that one hundred and nine (109) mangrove trees were cut down and removed from the property. The parties further agree that the Town has not been delegated authority over mangrove trees pursuant to the Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act. §§ 403.9321^03.9333, Fla. Stat. (2011) (“the Mangrove Act” or “the Act”). The primary issue raised on appeal is whether the Town, through the [1101]*1101Special Magistrate, had jurisdiction to impose a fíne against the Trust for the removal of the 109 mangrove trees at issue.

The Trust asserts that the Town has no authority to regulate or enforce any ordinance related to mangroves as local regulation and enforcement is preempted by the Mangrove Act, §§ 403.9321-403.9333, Fla. Stat. (2011). The Trust contends that without the power to regulate or enforce the Mangrove Act, the Town has no ability to fíne the Trust for removing mangroves.

In pertinent part, the Mangrove Act provides as follows:

(1) Sections 403.9321-403.9333 and any lawful regulations adopted by a local government that receives a delegation of the department’s authority to administer and enforce the regulation of mangroves as provided by this section shall be the sole regulations in this state for the trimming and alteration of mangroves on privately or publicly owned lands. All other state and local regulation of mangrove is as provided in subsection (3).
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(3) A local government that wants to establish a program for the regulation of mangroves may request delegation from the department at any time. However, all local government regulation of mangroves, except pursuant to a delegation as provided by this section, is abolished 180 days after this section takes effect.

§ 403.9234, Fla. Stat. (2011). It is clear that, absent a delegation of authority, all regulation of mangroves by local governments is preempted. The Town acknowledges that it has not been delegated authority to administer and enforce the Mangrove Act pursuant to Section 403.9234. Nevertheless, the Town maintains that assessing a fíne for removal of mangroves does not run afoul of the Mangrove Act’s preemption of local government regulation.

The fíne at issue here was assessed for violation of Section 26-99 of the Jupiter Town Code. Section 26-99 provides as follows:

Mangrove protection.
All trimming or removal of mangroves shall conform to the procedures and regulations established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) or the appropriate jurisdictional agency. Town staff shall have the authority to issue a stop work order if it appears that the DEP’s regulations are being violated.
Section 26-99 of the Jupiter Town Code. The Town asserts that Section 26-99 does not conflict with the Mangrove Act, rather it merely requires residents to comply with the regulations established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
While Section 26-99 does not establish regulations relating to mangroves apart from requiring compliance with DEP regulations, the assessment of a fine is an act of regulation preempted by the Mangrove Act and the Special Magistrate lacked jurisdiction to assess the fíne. The plain language of the Mangrove Act abolishes “all local government regulation of mangroves.” The Act also makes clear that a delegation of authority is required to “administer and enforce the regulation of mangroves.” The Town failed to obtain a delegation of authority from the State and without such a delegation it has no ability to impose the fíne at issue here.
A finding of preemption is consistent with the opinion of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Sun Harbor Home[1102]*1102owners Ass’n, Inc.

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Custer Medical Center v. United Automobile Insurance Co.
62 So. 3d 1086 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2010)
Advanced Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center, Corp. v. United Automobile Insurance Co.
103 So. 3d 866 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2012)
Kirrie v. Indian River County Code Enforcement Board
104 So. 3d 1177 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2012)
Sun Harbor Homeowners Ass'n v. Broward County Department of Natural Resource Protection
700 So. 2d 178 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
134 So. 3d 1098, 2014 WL 305124, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 1016, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-jupiter-v-byrd-family-trust-fladistctapp-2014.