Vosilla v. Rosado

944 So. 2d 289, 2006 WL 3229420
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedNovember 9, 2006
DocketSC05-1778
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 944 So. 2d 289 (Vosilla v. Rosado) 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
Vosilla v. Rosado, 944 So. 2d 289, 2006 WL 3229420 (Fla. 2006).

Opinion

944 So.2d 289 (2006)

John VOSILLA, et al., Petitioners,
v.
Julio ROSADO, et al., Respondents.

No. SC05-1778.

Supreme Court of Florida.

November 9, 2006.

*290 Stephen P. Sapienza, Bunnell, FL, for Petitioners.

*291 Sherri K. DeWitt of the DeWitt Law Firm, P.A., Orlando, FL, for Respondents.

PARIENTE, J.

We have for review the Fifth District Court of Appeal's en banc decision in Rosado v. Vosilla, 909 So.2d 505 (Fla. 5th DCA 2005), which certified conflict with the Second District Court of Appeal's decision in Alwani v. Slocum, 540 So.2d 908 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989). We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. The conflict issue is whether notice to a property owner that the property is scheduled for a tax deed sale, sent in compliance with section 197.522(1), Florida Statutes (2000), nonetheless violates due process of law when the taxing authority has received a change of address from the property owner but sends the tax sale notice to the owner's former address. The property owners in this case, who provided the taxing authority with a change of address, assert that the notice sent to their former address pursuant to section 197.522(1), was constitutionally inadequate to give them the opportunity to take action that could have prevented the sale. We agree that the notice was not reasonably calculated to apprise the owners of the tax deed sale, which is the due process test. For the reasons that follow, we approve Rosado and disapprove Alwani.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Julio and Nannette Rosado (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Rosados") owned a residence that they lost as a result of unpaid ad valorem taxes. The property is located in Altamonte Springs, part of Seminole County. On May 27, 1998, nonpayment of ad valorem taxes for 1997 led the Seminole County tax collector to issue a tax certificate for the Rosados' property.[1] On September 25, 1998, the Rosados notified the tax collector that they had moved to a new residence located at 1614 Imperial Palm Drive in Apopka, Florida. The Rosados also informed the tax collector that they were the owners of the Altamonte Springs property and requested that "any and all correspondence from the [tax collector's] office, pertaining to said property, be sent to the following post office box: P.O. Box 176, ZELLWOOD, FL 32798." Further, the Rosados informed the tax collector that a legally incapacitated relative and his female caretaker were residing at their Altamonte Springs residence and that the caretaker did not speak English.

On February 21, 2000, the Rosados notified the clerk of court via certified mail that their mailing address had changed to the Apopka residence and that their Zellwood post office box could be used as a secondary address. The letter was directed to the attention of the property tax department of the court. The clerk of court acknowledged receipt of the Rosados' letter. Although the Rosados notified both the tax collector and the clerk of court of their change of address, the Rosados' address was not updated in the tax assessment roll.

*292 On April 3, 2000, the holder of the tax certificate applied for a tax deed to the Rosados' Altamonte Springs property pursuant to section 197.502, Florida Statutes (2000). A tax deed is a deed that is issued to the highest bidder on property sold at a public auction because of nonpayment of ad valorem taxes. Sections 197.522(1)(a) and 197.502(4)(a), Florida Statutes (2000), require the clerk of court to mail notice of the application for the tax deed to the address of the legal titleholder as listed on the latest tax assessment roll. Pursuant to these statutory provisions, the clerk of court mailed notice via certified mail to the Rosados at the address listed on the latest tax assessment roll. Because the Rosados' address had not been updated on the tax assessment roll, notification was mailed to the Altamonte Springs residence. The return receipt was signed by a Regina Carmona. The Rosados did not receive notice of either the application for the tax deed or the date of the proposed tax deed sale.

On December 18, 2000, the Altamonte Springs residence was sold at a tax deed sale to Edward J. Terry. The next day, Terry conveyed the property by quitclaim deed to John Vosilla, Emilio Cirelli, Kelly Scofield, and Steve Semmelman (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Vosilla"). Vosilla filed a complaint in the trial court to quiet title to the property. The Rosados asserted that because they had previously notified the tax collector and clerk of court of their change of address, the clerk's notice "was not `reasonably calculated under all the circumstances' to apprise them of the tax deed sale." Rosado, 909 So.2d at 506. The Rosados further asserted that the inadequate notice denied them due process. At trial, in addition to other evidence, the Rosados presented the testimony of the tax deed clerk for the clerk of court, who testified that the sheriff's office attempted to post notice of the tax deed sale at the Altamonte Springs property on November 16, 2000. The tax deed clerk further testified that prior to the tax deed sale, the sheriff's office provided written notice to the clerk of court that the Rosados no longer resided at the Altamonte Springs address. The tax deed clerk did not know whether the clerk's office employee who was working on the Rosados' file in November of 2000 was aware that the Rosados no longer resided at the Altamonte Springs address.

The trial court found that the failure of the Rosados to receive notice was "completely the fault of the taxing agencies." Nonetheless, the trial court concluded that the notice did not violate the Rosados' due process rights because the notice was sent in compliance with the statutory requirements. The trial court concluded it was bound by Alwani and Eurofund Forty-Six, Ltd. v. Terry, 755 So.2d 835 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000), both of which held that notice of a tax deed sale that complies with section 197.522(1) comports with due process even though the titleholder had sent the taxing authorities notice of a change of address.

On appeal, the Fifth District reversed. In its en banc opinion, the Fifth District noted that "[i]t is undisputed that the clerk complied with the statutory notice requirements," but questioned whether the notice provided was "`reasonably calculated, under all the circumstances,' to apprise the Rosados of the tax deed sale and afford them an opportunity to present their objections." Rosado, 909 So.2d at 511 (quoting Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co., 339 U.S. 306, 314, 70 S.Ct. 652, 94 L.Ed. 865 (1950)). The Fifth District answered this question in the negative and ruled that the notice provided did not satisfy due process because it "was not reasonably calculated to apprise the Rosados of the impending tax deed sale where the tax collector knew or should have known *293 that the address listed on the tax [assessment] roll was incorrect." Rosado, 909 So.2d at 511. The Fifth District receded from its decision in Eurofund to the extent it conflicted with its opinion and certified conflict with the Second District's decision in Alwani. See id. at 514.

ANALYSIS

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Bluebook (online)
944 So. 2d 289, 2006 WL 3229420, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vosilla-v-rosado-fla-2006.