E. J. BACON, AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SARASOTA, ET AL., PLAINTIFFS IN ERROR,
v.
A. M. KLEMM & SON, A CORPORATION, DEFENDANT IN ERROR

Fla. | 1931-11-16
103 Fla. 588 Florida Supreme Court (1931) Positive Treatment
Also reported at: 137 So. 686
Cited by 6 cases

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Synopsis

The Florida Supreme Court upheld a circuit court's issuance of a peremptory writ of mandamus compelling the City of Sarasota to levy certain taxes. The court rejected the city's argument that the writ should not issue because it would cause injustice and confusion, finding no abuse of judicial discretion.


Holding

The circuit court did not abuse its judicial discretion in issuing the writ of mandamus. The plaintiff in error failed to clearly demonstrate that the judgment was the result of an abuse of discretion, and therefore the judgment should be affirmed.


Key Quotes

“Mandamus is a discretionary writ.”

Establishes the fundamental principle that governs the case, explaining why the circuit judge had discretion in whether to issue the writ.

Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.

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Facts & Procedural History

The City of Sarasota, through Mayor E.J. Bacon, sought to avoid levying certain taxes. A.M. Klemm & Son filed a petition for a peremptory writ of mand…

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Opinion of the Court
Buford, C.J.

Buford, C.J.

This case comes here on writ of error to a peremptory writ of mandamus issued by the Circuit Court of the Twenty-seventh Judicial Circuit in and for Sarasota County to compel the levy of certain taxes.

It may be said that all material questions involved in this case have been settled in this jurisdiction by the opinions and judgments in the cases of State ex rel. vs. Lehman, 133 Sou. 533, and Klemm vs. Davenport, 129 Sou. 905.

Aside from the questions presented and determined in the above mentioned cases, plaintiff in error contends that the Circuit Judge abused judicial discretion in the issuing-of the writ because as is contended the enforcing of the command of the writ “will work injustice and introduce confusion and disorder”, it appearing that the tax roll for the year 1931 was practically completed at the time petition was filed.

Mandamus is a discretionary writ. The Circuit Judge *589in the exercise of judicial discretion vested in him determined that the writ should issue and in the conclusion was doubtless influenced largely by the opinion in the case of Klemm vs. Davenport, supra, in which case many of the facts have their parallel in the facts of the case at bar.

In the light of the established principles of law controlling cases like this it would be necessary for us to say that it clearly appears from the record that the judgment was the result of abuse of judicial discretion. The plaintiff in error has not made it clearly to appear that there was abuse of judicial discretion in the issuing of the writ and, therefore, the judgment should be affirmed. It is so ordered.

Affirmed.

Whitfield, Ellis, Terrell, Brown and Davis, J.J., eoncur.

Davis, J.,

(Concurring) :—I concur in the opinion and judgment but do not commit myself thereby to the plaintiff in error’s contention that the Circuit Judge had any discretion whatsoever to- have refused the writ on the ground that it would work injustice. And introduce confusion and disorder if granted. I do not see how any such contention could ever be sustained under any circumstances as against the assertion of contract rights voluntarily incurred by the agreement of the municipality with those who took its securities on the faith of the performance and enforceability of the contractual obligation assumed. State ex rel. vs. Lehman, supra.

Brown, J.

(Concurring) :—Under the peculiar facts of this particular case and the statutes under which these $5,000.00 of bonds were issued, I am inclined to the view that the Circuit Judge might have been justified in denying the writ, but I eoncur in the conclusion of the Court that in granting the writ no abuse of discretion is made to appear.

Concurrence
Davis, J.,

Davis, J.,

(Concurring) :—I concur in the opinion and judgment but do not commit myself thereby to the plaintiff in error’s contention that the Circuit Judge had any discretion whatsoever to-have refused the writ on the ground that it would work injustice. And introduce confusion and disorder if granted. I do not see how any such contention could ever be sustained under any circumstances as against the assertion of contract rights voluntarily incurred by the agreement of the municipality with those who took its securities on the faith of the performance and enforceability of the contractual obligation assumed. State ex rel. vs. Lehman, supra.

Concurrence
Brown, J.

Brown, J.

(Concurring) :—Under the peculiar facts of this particular case and the statutes under which these $5,000.00 of bonds were issued, I am inclined to the view that the Circuit Judge might have been justified in denying the writ, but I eoncur in the conclusion of the Court that in granting the writ no abuse of discretion is made to appear.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Soreno Hotel Co. v. State, 107 Fla. 195 (Fla. 1932)
    …less a prima facie case is made by the allegations in the petition showing a duty on part of respondent .imposed by law and a right in relator to require its performance. State ex rel. v. Paderick, 77 Fla. 277, 81 So. 285; Bacon v. A. M. Klem & Son, 103 Fla. 588, [*198] 137 So. 686. In other words the relator must have a clear legal right to performance by respondent of the particular duty in question. State ex rel. v. Gray, 92 Fla. 1123, 111 So. 242; State v. Greer 88 Fla. 249, 102 So. 739, 37 A. L. R. 129…
  • …t. Such discretion will not be disturbed on appeal unless error is flagrant and the abuse of discretion egregious. La Gorce Country Club v. Cerami, Fla., 74 So. 2d 95; State ex rel. Beacham v. Wynn, 158 Fla. 182, 28 So. 2d 253; Bacon v. Klemm & Son, 103 Fla. 588, 137 So. 686. Affirmed. CARROLL, DONALD and WIGGIN-TON, JJ., concur.…

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