THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION FOR THE COUNTY OF INDIAN RIVER, STATE OF FLORIDA, ETC., APPELLEE

Fla. | 1929-12-28
Strum and Buford, J. J., concur., Terrell, C. J., and Ellis and Brown, J. J., concur in the opinion and judgment.
98 Fla. 1152 Florida Supreme Court (1929) Negative Treatment
Also reported at: 125 So. 357
Cited by 43 cases

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Synopsis

The Florida Supreme Court reversed a lower court decree validating interest-bearing time warrants issued by Indian River County's Board of Public Instruction, holding that such warrants violate the Florida Constitution's restrictions on how county school funds may be used.


Holding

The court held that the statute violates Section 9, Article XII of the Florida Constitution as amended in 1926. County school funds are constitutionally restricted to the sources specified in the Constitution and may be used solely for the support and maintenance of public free schools. The Constitution does not permit the issuance of interest-bearing time warrants or bonds payable from county school funds for current school expenses.


Key Quotes

“The county school funds can be used 'solely for the support and maintenance of public free schools,' and the Constitution does not provide for or permit the county school fund to be used for the payment of bonds issued for county school current expenses.”

Establishes the core constitutional restriction on county school fund usage that prohibits debt financing for current school expenses

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Facts & Procedural History

The Indian River County Board of Public Instruction sought to issue up to $200,000 in interest-bearing time warrants at a rate not exceeding 8% per an…

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Opinion of the Court
Whitfield, P. J.

Whitfield, P. J.

This appeal is from a decree validating interest bearing time warrants to be issued by the County Board of Public Instruction for Indian River County, under Chapter 14550, Acts of 1929, extra session. The Act is entitled:

"AN ACT to Authorize the Board of Public Instruction for Any County in the State of Florida, Which Said County Has an Assessed Valuation on the Real and Personal Property, Situate Therein, of Not Less than Four Million, Five Hundred and Thirty-eight Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ten Dollars ($4,538,-710.00) and Not More Than Four Million, Five Hundred and Thirty-eight Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twelve Dollars ($4,538,712.00), as Shown by the Assessment Roll of Said County Prepared by the County Tax Assessor Thereof for the Year 1928 and Approved by the Board of County Commissioners of Said County, to Procure a Loan or Loans of Not Exceeding Two Hundred Thousand ($200,000.00) Dollars and Pay Interest Thereon at a Rate Not Exceeding Eight Per Cent Per Annum, for the Purpose of Paying Salaries to Teachers Employed by Said Board in the Public Free Schools of Said County, for the Purpose of Paying Salaries of Any Other Employees of Said Board, for the Purpose of Maintaining, Repairing, Furnishing and/or Equipping Any of the Public School Buildings in Said County and/or for the Purpose of Paying Any and All Legitimate Expenses Incurred in Operating the Public Free Schools of Said County; to Authorize Said Board, in Order to Procure Said Loan, to Issue and Sell Not Exceeding Two Hundred Thousand ($200,000.00) Dollars in Principal Amount of Interest Bearing Time Warrants; to Make Provision for a Sinking Fund for the Retirement of Said Warrants and the interest to Become Dne Thereon; to Regulate the Expenditures of the Sum Derived from the Sale of Said Warrants; to Authorize Said Board to Prescribe the Form, Date of Maturity, Denomination and Time and Place of Payment of Said Time Warrants.”

If such enactment is not inoperative because it is in legal effect a local law enacted in violation of Section 21, Article III, Constitution, as amended in 1928 (see page 1597, Gen. Laws of 1927), the enactment does violate Section 9, Article XII, Constitution, as amended in 1926, in that it purports to authorize the county board of public instruction to issue interest bearing time warrants which would in effect be the equivalent of bonds, made payable from the county school funds of the county, on which to borrow money ‘ ‘ for the support and maintenance of public free schools” in the county. Section 9, Article XII, Constitution, as amended in 1926, specifies the sources from which the county school fund shall be derived. The Constitution contemplates an annual budget of county school expenditures and does not contemplate that interest bearing time warrants or bonds shall be issued and sold to raise county school funds “for the support and maintenance of public free schools. ’ ’ The phrase “with all other school funds” contained in said Section 9 as amended does not refer to-the_ proceeds of interest bearing time warrants or bonds to be issued and sold by the county board of public instruction and made payable from the county school funds that are provided for by the Constitution. The county school funds can be used “solely for the support and maintenance of public free schools, ’ ’ and the Constitution does not provide for or permit the county school fund to be used for the payment of bonds issued for county school current expenses. Leonard v. Franklin, v. 84 Fla. 402, 93 So. R. 688; Barrows v. Moffett, 95 Fla. 111, 116 So. R. 71.

Reversed.

Strum and Buford, J. J., concur. Terrell, C. J., and Ellis and Brown, J. J., concur in the opinion and judgment.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By (12 total)

  • State v. The Bd. of Pub. Instruction, 126 Fla. 142 (Fla. 1936)
    …111, 116 So. 71; Board of Public Instruction of LaFayette County v. Union School Furnishing Co., 100 Fla. 326, 129 So. 824; Leonard v. Franklin, 84 Fla. 402, 93 So. 688; and State v. Board of Public Instruction of Indian River County, 98 Fla. 1152, 125 So. 357. The case at bar may easily be distinguished from the foregoing cases. Barrow v. Moffett involved the interpretation of Chapter 12844, Special Acts of 1927, and while the opinion might be clearer on that point, the Act was held invalid on the theor…
  • …obligations.” (Italics ours'.) It must be noted that there are evidences of indebtedness that cannot legally be issued by a county school board; for example, in the case of State v. Board of Public Instruction of Indian River County, 98 Fla. 1152, 125 So. 357, this Court said: “The Constitution contemplates an annual budget for County School expenditures and does not contemplate that interest-bearing time warrants or bonds shall be issued and sold to raise County School funds for the s'upport and mainte…
  • The Bd. of Pub. Instruction v. Kennedy, 109 Fla. 153 (Fla. 1933)
    …81 Fla. 503, 88 So. Rep. 308; Leonard v. Franklin, 84 Fla. 402, 93 So. Rep. 688; Warren v. Board of Public Instruction, 86 Fla. 254, 97 So. Rep. 384; Barrow v. Moffett, 95 Fla. 111, 116 So. Rep. 71; State v. Board of Pub. Inst. Indian River County, 98 Fla. 1152, 125 So. Rep. 357; Coppedge v. State, 99 Fla. 358, 127 So. Rep. 319; Board of Pub. Inst. Lafayette County, v. Union School Furnishing Co., 100 Fla. 326, 129 So. Rep. 824; Board of Pub. Inst. Lafayette County v. American Seating Co., 100 Fla. 616, 13…

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