MAY LAND COMPANY
v.
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE, ET AL.
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May Land Company challenged Fort Lauderdale's issuance of $23,000 in Waterworks Revenue Certificates for waterworks improvements, arguing they violated the Florida Constitution's requirement for voter approval. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's dismissal, holding that revenue certificates for essential waterworks improvements paid from system revenues were valid without voter approval.
The Court affirmed the dismissal of the injunction, holding that waterworks revenue certificates for improving an existing essential system, payable solely from system receipts, are valid under the Constitution without voter approval. The Court found no showing that the validating decree was entered without authority or was void due to notice defects.
“As the Waterworks Revenue Certificates proposed to be issued in this case are for the purpose of improving an existing waterworks system that is immediately essential to the health and economic security of the city, and as the certificates are to be paid solely from the receipts from the operation of the waterworks system, the decree dismissing the bill seeking an injunction against the issue of the waterworks revenue certificates should, as to their validity under Section 6, Article IX, Constitution, be affirmed”
Establishes the Court's holding that revenue certificates for essential waterworks improvements funded by system revenues are valid without voter approval
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe City of Fort Lauderdale proposed to issue $23,000 in Waterworks Revenue Certificates to make improvements to its waterworks system. The city had p…
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— This is an appeal from a decree dismissing a bill of complaint seeking to enjoin the issue of $23,000.00 of Waterworks Revenue Certificates by the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the purpose of making improvements to the waterworks system of the city without an approving vote of the freeholder electors of the city as required by Section 6, Article IX, of the Constitution of Florida, as amended in 1930.
An injunction is sought notwithstanding the allegation that the certificates have been validated by judicial decree. See Williams v. Town of Dunnellon, decided at this term; Weinberger v. Beard, 93 Fla. 470, 112 So. 253; Boykin v. Town of River Junction, filed this term.
In addition to allegations that the proposed “Waterworks Revenue Certificates” violate amended Section 6, Article IX, Constitution, the bill of complaint, referring to a prior validating decree, contains the following:
“That the said City of Fort Lauderdale on the ........ day of February, 1936, filed in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida in and for Broward County, a petition for the validation of the waterworks revenue certificate hereinbefore referred to that said cause *148is chancer}'- case 7337, reference to which is hereby expressly made as often as the same may be necessary; that in and by said proceedings the said City-of Fort Lauderdale attempted to validate said waterworks certificate, and plaintiff alleges that the court in entering its decree did so without authority, in that proper notice had not been given to the taxpayers of the City of Fort Lauderdale as required by law, that the notice to taxpayers was published in the Fort Lauderdale Daily News, a newspaper of general circulation in Broward County, Florida, on the following dates: February 21, 28, March 5, and 12, all in 1936.
“Plaintiff alleges that the publication of the notice to the taxpayers of said city is not in compliance with law, and consequently the decree entered in said cause is void and of no effect.”
It is not made to appear by such quoted allegations that the Circuit Court entered its validating decree “without authority, in that proper notice had not been given to the taxpayers of the City of Fort Lauderdale, as required by law”; and it is not shown that the said validating decree “is void and of no effect.”
As the Waterworks Revenue Certificates proposed to be issued in this case are for the purpose of improving an existing waterworks system that is immediately essential to the health and economic security of the city, and as the certificates are to be paid solely from the receipts from the operation of the waterworks system, the decree dismissing the bill seeking an injunction against the issue of the waterworks revenue certificates should, as to their validity under Section 6, Article IX, Constitution, be affirmed on the authority of State, ex rel., v. City of Miami, 113 Fla. 280, 152 So. 6, and other like cases. See also Williams v. Town of Dunnellon, decided at this term.
*149Affirmed.
Whitfield, C. J., Terrell, Brown, Buford and Davis, J. J., concur.
concurs upon the principle announced in his specially concurring opinion in the case of State, ex rel. City of Vero Beach, v. MacConnell, this day filed.
Ellis, P. J.,
concurs upon the principle announced in his specially concurring opinion in the case of State, ex rel. City of Vero Beach, v. MacConnell, this day filed.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
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State v. City of Pensacola, 135 Fla. 239 (Fla. 1938)…lowing cases also support this view: Patton v. Panama City, et al., 125 Fla. 140, 169 So. 638; Teachy v. City of Wauchula, 125 Fla. 150, 169 So. 640; Voorhees v. City of Moore Haven, 125 Fla. 149, 169 So. 641; May Land Co. v. City of Ft. Lauderdale, 125 Fla. 146, 169 So. 642; State, ex rel. City of Sarasota, v. Richards, 125 Fla. 145, 169 So. 643; Taylor v. City of Miami, 125 Fla. 144, 169 So. 644; Boynton v. City of Safety Harbor, 125 Fla. 143, 169 So. 644; Pentecost v. City of Ft. Myers, 125 Fla. 152, 169…
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State v. City of DeLand, 135 Fla. 540 (Fla. 1938)…ecisions of this Court: Patton v. Panama City, et al., 125 Fla. 140, 169 So. 638; Teachy v. City of Wauchula, 125 Fla. 150, 169 So. 640; Vorhees v. City of Moore Haven, 125 Fla. 149, 169 So. 641; May Land Co. v. City of Ft. Lauderdale, 125 Fla. 146, 169 So. 642; State, ex rel. City of Sarasota v. Richards, 125 Fla. 145, 169 So. 643; Taylor v. City of Miami, 125 Fla. 144, 169 So. 644; Boynton v. City of Safety Harbor, 125 Fla. 143, 169 So. 644; Pentecost v. City of Ft. Myers, 125 Fla. 152, 169 So. 645; Airt…
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Dickey v. City of Fort Lauderdale, 136 Fla. 241 (Fla. 1939)…cial Acts of 1925, under which it is proposed to issue said -debentures and find ample authority in Sections 7 and 139 thereof for this purpose. The authority to issue such debentures was also approved in May Land Company v. City of Fort Lauderdale, 125 Fla. 146, 169 So. 642, so the power-to issue them would seem to be a closed question. With reference to the city’s allowable debt limit, Section 102 of Chapter 10552, Special Acts of 1925, provides that no bonds shall be issued in excess of the aggregate of…
Authorities Cited
- State & Joseph S. Diver v. City of Miami, 113 Fla. 280 (Fla. 1933)
- Weinberger v. The Bd. of Pub. Instruction of St. Johns Cnty., 93 Fla. 470 (Fla. 1927)