STATE ADJUSTMENT CO.
v.
CLARENCE E. WINSLOW, ET AL.
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In this second appeal, the Florida Supreme Court reversed a modified final decree that improperly applied a special statute elevating special assessment liens to equal dignity with state and county ad valorem tax liens, violating constitutional uniformity requirements. The Court held that while legislatures may equalize special assessments with municipal ad valorem taxes, they cannot constitutionally equalize them with state and county ad valorem taxes across localities.
A legislature may raise special assessment liens to equal dignity with municipal ad valorem tax liens, but cannot constitutionally equalize them with state and county ad valorem tax liens without violating constitutional uniformity requirements. When adjudicating priority between special assessments and ad valorem assessments for municipal purposes, state and county ad valorem assessments must be held of equal dignity with municipal ad valorem assessments, and special assessments must be subordinate to state and county ad valorem assessments.
“To attribute to a special or local law the legal effect of making the lien of special assessments in the localities affected equal in dignity to the lien created by the assessment of ad valorem taxes for State and county purposes would be to destroy the uniformity of taxation which is guaranteed by the Constitution”
Establishes the constitutional basis for prohibiting special statutes from equalizing special assessments with state and county ad valorem taxes
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceState Adjustment Company held tax certificates for years 1927-1929 and had paid redemption taxes thereafter. The City of St. Petersburg had created sp…
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This is the second appearance of this case here. See State Adjustment Company v. Winslow, et al., 114 Fla. 609, 154 Sou. 325.
It is now before us on appeal from modified final decree. The modified final decree does not comport with the law of the case as enunciated in the opinion and judgment above referred to in that the decree holds: “That there is due the City of St. Petersburg, a municipal corporation, the sum of $7511.13 by reason of its five special assessment improvement liens hereinabove described in this decree with interest as provided in said liens, and there is due plaintiff the further sum of $64.00 as a reasonable solicitor’s fee for plaintiff’s solicitors, and in addition thereto all costs of Court in connection with this proceeding.
“That the amount due the plaintiff for all monies paid out by it for the purchase of tax certificates for the years 1927, 1928 and 1929, together with all interest and penalties from the date of the issuance of the said tax certificates constitutes a lien prior in dignity to the lien of the special assessments of the City of St. Petersburg' hereinabove referred to; that the amount paid by the plaintiff herein for the redemption of all subsequent and omitted taxes subsequent to taxes for the year 1929 as required by law constitutes a lien which is on a parity with the lien of the City of St. Petersburg for its special assessments.”
In this modified decree the Chancellor gave effect to Chapter 14396 being a Special Act of the Legislature approved June 7, 1929, insofar as that Act" purported to constitute the liens acquired by special assesments' theretofore *202made by the City of St. Petersburg of equal dignity with assessments thereafter made of ad valorem taxes for State, county and municipal purposes.
There is no valid reason why such liens could not by legislative Act be raised to the dignity and be placed on a parity with ad valorem taxes assessed for municipal purposes, but a different condition exists in regard to ad valorem taxes assessed for State and county purposes.
To attribute to a special or local law the legal effect of making the lien of special assessments in the localities affected equal in dignity to the lien created by the assessment of ad valorem taxes for State and county purposes would be to destroy the uniformity of taxation which is guaranteed by the Constitution and would result in a tax lien created by the assessment of ad valorem taxes for State and municipal purposes in one locality being superior in dignity to the lien of special assessments levied by taxing units, while in other localities to which the special statute applies it would be only of equal dignity with the lien created by such special assessments.
This constitutional requirement as to uniformity does not apply to assessments for municipal purposes and, therefore, it is competent for the Legislature to provide by statute that liens created by special assessments in a particular municipality may be of equal dignity with the liens created by municipal ad valorem assessments' when no issue as to priority of lien created by those assessments and the lien created by ad valorem assessments for State and county purposes is involved.
In cases where such legislative Acts apply and a decree assumes to adjudicate the priority of liens created by ad valorem assessments for municipal purposes and special assessments for municipal improvements the liens created *203by the ad valorem assessments for State and county purposes and the ad valorem assessments for municipal purposes should be held to be of equal dignity (Sanford v. Dial, 104 Fla. 1, 142 Sou. 233) and the special assessments to be of inferior dignity to the lien created by the ad valorem assessment for State and county purposes and the court should retain jurisdiction for the purpose of distributing the fund which may be acquired by the municipality as' between the holders of the liens created by municipal ad valorem assessment and the holders of liens created by special assessment as their interest may appear.
For the reasons stated, the decree is reversed with directions that a decree be entered in conformity with the opinion and judgment of this Court heretofore rendered and not in conflict with the expressions herein contained.
It is so ordered.
Reversed.
Davis, C. J., and Whitfield and Terrell, J. J., concur.
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Rorick v. Reconstr. Fin. Corp., 144 Fla. 539 (Fla. 1940)…wn to- have been destroyed. To support the contention that Section 1538, Compiled General Laws, violates the requirement as to uniformity the following cases are relied on: State Adjustment Co. v. Winslow, 114 Fla. 609, 154 So. 325; and same title, 117 Fla. 200, 157 So. 507, and State ex rel. Maxwell Hunter, Inc., v. O’Quinn, 114 Fla. 222, 145 So. 166. We do not think any of these cases control the case at bar. The O’Quinn case dealt with State and county certificates and had no reference to special assess…
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Sugar Bowl Drainage Dist. v. Sallie S. Miller, 120 Fla. 436 (Fla. 1935)…tate and county taxes was generally recognized as being superior to that for drainage taxes and special assessments. Pinellas Park Drainage Dist. v. Kessler, 69 Fla. 558, 68 So. 668; State Adjustment Co. v. Winslow, [*439] 114 Fla. 609, 154 So. 325, 117 Fla. 200, 157 So. 507; City of Sanford v. Dial, 104 Fla. 7, 142 So. 233; Section 696, Revised General Statutes of 1920, Section 896, Compiled General Laws of 1927. Sugar Bowl Drainage District was incorporated under Chapter 6458, Laws of Florida, Acts of 19…
Authorities Cited
- City of Sanford v. Dial, 104 Fla. 1 (Fla. 1932)
- State Adjustment Co. v. Winslow, 114 Fla. 609 (Fla. 1934)