CITY OF MIAMI, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, APPELLANT,
v.
BLANCHE T. LEWIS, APPELLEE
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A municipal corporation is a political subdivision of the state for purposes of statutory exemption from posting a supersedeas bond on appeal.
The City of Miami appealed a judgment against it and sought to stay enforcement without posting a supersedeas bond. The lower court required the bond,…
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The appellant, City of Miami, seeks review of an order of the Civil Court of Record of Dade County requiring it to post bond to supersede a judgment on appeal in this court. The question raised by the motion is whether a municipal corporation is a political subdivision of the state within the meaning of § 59.14, Fla.Stat, F.S.A., and therefore exempt from the requirement of posting supersedeas bond to stay the enforcement or execution of an adverse judgment. The answer to this question lies principally in the interpretation and application of the provisions of § 59.14, supra. This statute provides, inter alia:
“(1) When security not required.— When the state or any of its political subdivisions, or any officer, board, commission, or other public body of the state or any of its political subdivisions, in a purely official capacity, takes an appeal, the filing of the notice of appeal shall perfect the same and stay the execution or performance of the judgment, decree, or order appealed from, and no supersedeas bond need be given unless expressly required by the appellate court.
“(2) Appellate court may require bond. — The appellate court may, on motion for good cause shown, require a su-persedeas bond or other security, in such amount, form and manner as it may prescribe as a condition for the further prosecution of the appeal.”
Section 59.14, supra, was revised in 1945 to include “the state or any of its political subdivisions, in a purely official capacity * * * Prior to the revision, only constitutional officers of the state, boards of county commission and boards of public instruction of the various counties were exempt from furnishing supersedeas bond pending appeal. From a reading of the revised statute in comparison with its predecessor, it becomes apparent that the legislature intended to broaden the scope of the exemption to “other public bodies of the state and any of its political subdivisions.” Section 1.01(10), Fla.Stat., F.S.A. (definitions) provides:
“The words ‘public body’, ‘body politic’ or ‘political subdivision’ include counties, cities, towns, villages, * *
To the extent that governmental functions are discharged within a prescribed area and consistent with its grant of authority, a municipal corporation exercises the attributes of sovereignty and as such is a political subdivision or arm of the state. See Loeb v. City of Jacksonville, 101 Fla. 429, 134 So. 205, 207, 79 A.L.R. 459. The Constitution of Florida, § 1, Art. 8, F.S.A., specifically designates counties as political subdivisions of the state. Section 8, Art. 8, authorizes the legislature to establish municipalities. Therefore, we see that counties derive their status as political subdivisions of the state through constitutional designation whereas the cities or municipalities are creatures of the statutes. The fact that the latter is a creation by legislative enactment makes it nonetheless, within its restricted orbit, as much a political subdivision of the state as the former. The parentage might be different but the general purpose of local government is the same. In City of Miami v. Rosen, 151 Fla. 677, 10 So.2d 307, 309, the Supreme Court said, in comparing counties and municipalities:
*73“Municipalities in Florida are not subdivisions of the State as are counties.”
In comparison to the degree of sovereignty exercised, the counties exercise greater sovereignty than the municipalities. In turn, the state, as the sovereign, would exercise more governmental authority than the counties. If the legislature intended to exempt only those political subdivisions constitutionally created, then we feel that they would have so provided. However, where the legislative effort was apparently to broaden the exemptions formerly granted, we cannot but feel that they intended to and included municipalities within the purview of political subdivisions of the state.
The appellee points out that § 59.-14, supra, refers to appeals taken “in a purely official capacity” and reasons that the exemption, if any, would only apply in those instances where a governmental function as distinguished from a proprietary function was being exercised. In the case at bar, the appellant was found liable for failing to keep a sidewalk in a reasonably safe condition, admittedly a proprietary function of a municipal corporation. Woods v. City of Palatka, Fla.1953, 63 So.2d 636. The fallacy of appellee’s argument lies in the attempt to differentiate between governmental and proprietary functions of a municipal corporation as it relates to substantive liability. The question at issue here is procedural and is not determined by the identity of the function performed but whether the function, regardless of name, was in the official capacity of the political subdivision. The appellant was sued, defended and liability was imposed in its official capacity and it is now seeking a review in this same capacity. Section 59.14, supra, makes no distinction between governmental and proprietary functions as determinative of whether the exemption from bond can be claimed.
The court below relied upon the provisions of § 64.04, Fla.Stat., F.S.A., as authorizing supersedeas bond without surety. This section has no application to the facts presented in this appeal. Section 64.-04, supra, provides that a municipality shall not be required to furnish surety on any judicial bond “required by any law of this-state, or order of court, in any legal proceedings in which it may be a party.” When; this section is read in conjunction with the later expression of the legislature in § 59.14, supra, it becomes apparent that the authority of the trial court to require super-sedeas of a municipality has been withdrawn. This right now vests exclusively in the appellate court by reason of the specific provisions of § 59.14(2), supra. We do not find the two statutes to be in conflict. The express power granted to the appellate court in § 59.14(2), supra, limits the general application of § 64.04, supra.
Accordingly, we conclude that the filing of the notice of appeal by the City of Miami was sufficient to stay the effect of the final judgment without the necessity of a supersedeas bond.
The motion is granted and the supersedeas order and bond filed thereunder are hereby vacated and held for naught.
CARROLL, CHAS., C. J., and HORTON and PEARSON, JJ., concur.
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City OF Miami v. Murphy, 132 So. 2d 361 (Fla. 3d DCA 1961)…e court to which transferred shall have full power and jurisdiction over the demands of both the defendant and the plaintiff in the said suit and may adjudicate the same and enter judgment or decree thereon.” . City of Miami v. Lewis, Fla.App.1958, 104 So. 2d 70.…
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Demings v. Orange Cnty. Citizens Review Bd., 15 So. 3d 604 (Fla. 5th DCA 2009)…constitutionality of a county charter or ordinance. Cf. City of Hollywood v. Mulligan, 934 So. 2d 1238 (Fla.2006) (applying de novo standard of review to lower court's determination of validity of city ordinance). . See also City of Miami v. Lewis, 104 So. 2d 70, 72 (Fla. 3d DCA 1958) ("counties derive their status as political subdivisions of the state through constitutional designation whereas the cities or municipalities are creatures of the statutes"); City of Miami v. Rosen, 151 Fla. 677, 10 So. 2d 307…
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City OF N. Miami v. Engel, 109 So. 2d 33 (Fla. 3d DCA 1959)…ction order, moved in this court for a supersedeas order, we held (111 So. 2d 90) that the city’s appeal operated as a stay without the necessity for such an order, by virtue of § 59.14(1), Fla.Stat., F.S.A. See City of Miami v. Lewis, Fla.App.1958, 104 So. 2d 70. Thereafter, on motion of the appellees this court granted an injunctive order in aid of jurisdiction on February 6, 1959, to be effective pending tire hearing [*34] and disposition of this appeal, or until further order. The injunctive order of th…
Previewing 3 of 13 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- City of Miami v. Rosen, 151 Fla. 677 (Fla. 1942)
- Loeb v. City of Jacksonville, 101 Fla. 429 (Fla. 1931)
- Woods v. City of Palatka, 63 So. 2d 636 (Fla. 1953)