ARI MILLER, APPELLANT,
v.
GINA MENDEZ, KATHERINE HARRIS, AS SECRETARY OF STATE, AND DAVID LEAHY, AS SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, APPELLEES

Fla. 3d DCA | 2000-10-05
No. 3D00-2746
Before JORGENSON, COPE and GODERICH, JJ.
767 So. 2d 678 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (2000) Positive Treatment
Cited by 2 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Ari Miller sought an injunction to remove Gina Mendez from the November 2000 judicial ballot, claiming Mendez had not established residency in Miami-Dade County at the time of filing her candidacy oath. The court affirmed the trial court's judgment for defendants, holding that constitutional eligibility requirements for judicial office are measured at the time of assuming office, not at the time of qualification or election.


Holding

Constitutional eligibility requirements for judicial office, including residency, are measured at the time of assuming office, not at the time of qualification or election to office. Mendez satisfied the residency requirement by establishing domicile in Miami-Dade County prior to when she would assume office.


Headnotes

[1] Eligibility requirements for judicial office refer to eligibility at the time of assuming office, not at the time of qualification or election.

[2] Florida courts have consistently recognized that an individual's intent is a subjective factor in determining domicile, and the best proof of domicile is where the person…

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Key Quotes

“the eligibility requirements 'refer to eligibility at the time of assuming office not at the time of qualification or election to office.'”

Establishes the controlling legal standard for when constitutional eligibility requirements for judicial office must be satisfied

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Facts & Procedural History

Mendez stated her residence as Broward County in her Oath of Candidate but had established residency in Miami-Dade County by the week of September 18,…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

The plaintiff below, Ari Miller, appeals from an adverse final judgment. We affirm.

Because the trial court succinctly recites the facts of this case and is correct in its application of the relevant law, we adopt the trial court’s order in its entirety as our own.

FINAL JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF DEFENDANTS

THIS CAUSE came before this Court on September 22, 2000, on Plaintiffs Complaint seeking an injunction and a declaratory statement against Defendant Mendez to remove Defendant MENDEZ’ name from the November 7, 2000 ballot on the grounds that she had not established her residency in Miami-Dade County at the time she signed her Oath of Candidate. The Court having reviewed the pleadings including the Stipulated Facts filed by the parties, having considered the arguments of counsel, having reviewed the court file, and having been otherwise fully advised in the premises, the Court finds as follows:

1. That this Court has subject matter jurisdiction. See State ex. rel. Shevin v. Stone, 279 So. 2d 17 (Fla.1972); Op. Att’y Gen. Fla. 76-130 (1976).

2. That Article V, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution provides in pertinent part -

No person shall be eligible for office of justice or judge of any court unless the person is an elector of the state and resides in the territorial jurisdiction of the court.... No person is eligible for the office of circuit judge unless the person is, and has been for the preceding five years, a member of the bar of Florida.... B. That Article V, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution does not expressly specify when a candidate for judicial office must establish his or her residency requirements, i.e., at the time the candidate qualifies for election or before assuming office.

4. That the Florida Supreme Court has ruled that the eligibility requirements set forth in the Florida Constitution, referred “to eligibility at the time of assuming office and not at the time of qualification or election to office.” In re Advisory Opinion to the Governor, 192 So. 2d 757, 759 (Fla.1966).

5. That the Florida Supreme Court recently had the opportunity to address the issue of eligibility requirements and concluded that, “[T]he eligibility requirements ‘refer to eligibility at the time of assuming office not at the time of qualification or election to office.’ ” In re Advisory Opinion to the Governor — Terms of County Court Judges, 750 So. 2d 610, 613 (Fla.1999) quoting In re Advisory Opinion to the Governor, 192 So. 2d 757, 759 (Fla.1966)(emphasis in original). See also Newman v. State, 602 So. 2d 1351, 1352 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992)(“Under the constitutional provision [of Art. V, § 8, Fla. Const.], a person must be a member of the Bar for five years at the time he or she takes office, not at the time of qualifying.”).

6. That on the issue of residency, the Third District Court of Appeal very recently stated that, “Florida courts have consistently recognized that an individual’s intent is a subjective factor and ‘the best proof of one’s domicile is where [the person] says it is.’ ” Perez v. Marti, 25 Fla. L. Weekly D2184[, — So. 2d -, 2000 WL 1234056] (Fla. 3d DCA Sept. 1, 2000) quoting Ogden v. Odgen[Ogden], 159 Fla. 604, 609, 33 So. 2d 870, 873 (Fla.1947), reh’g denied, Perez v. Marti, No. 3D00-2441[,-So. 2d-, 2000 WL 1234056] (Sept. 22, 2000) (So-rondo, J., specially concurring)(calling for Legislature to adopt specific statutory language to clarify residency requirements for political office).

7. That Defendant MENDEZ in her Oath of Candidate stated that she resided in Broward County, however the parties have stipulated that as of the week of September 18, 2000, she is a resident of Miami-Dade County.

8. That Defendant MENDEZ solicited and received a legal opinion from the Division of Elections dated July 11, 2000 which informed her that she needed to establish her residency at the time she assumed office in the event she was elected and she has already done so.

WHEREFORE, it is ORDERED and ADJUDGED:

1. The Court GRANTS Final Judgment in favor of Defendants MENDEZ, HARRIS AND LEAHY.

Lastly, we certify conflict with the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s opinion in Miller v. Gross, No. 00-2951 (Fla. 4th DCA Aug. 30, 2000). This Court will not entertain any motion for rehearing.

Affirmed.


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Cited By

  • Ari Miller v. Mendez, 804 So. 2d 1243 (Fla. 2001)
    …QUINCE, J. We have for review the decision of the Third District Court of Appeal in Miller v. Mendez, 767 So. 2d 678 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000), which certified conflict with the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s decision in Miller v. Gross, 788 So. 2d 256 (Fla. 4th DCA), review denied, 770 So. 2d 159 (Fla.2000), on the issue of whether residence under the election laws r…

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