MID-FLORIDA VAN LINES, INC., PETITIONER,
v.
WILLIAM T. MAYO, CHAIRMAN, JERRY W. CARTER, AND JESS YARBOROUGH AS AND CONSTITUTING THE FLORIDA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, RESPONDENTS

Fla. | 1970-01-07
No. 38567
ERVIN, C. J., CARLTON and ADKINS, JJ., and MANN, District Court Judge, concur.
230 So. 2d 681 Florida Supreme Court (1970)

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

Mid-Florida Van Lines sought grandfather certificates to continue household goods transportation operations in Brevard County municipalities under a statutory exemption. The Florida Public Service Commission denied the applications, citing a prior case holding that such operations should be subject to exclusive regulation. The Florida Supreme Court remanded for reconsideration because the Commission failed to address whether the applicant's prior certificate was dormant.


Holding

The Court held that the Commission erred in denying the applications without considering whether Certificate No. 862 was dormant, and remanded the case for the Commission to reconsider the applications in light of the alleged dormancy of the prior certificate.


Headnotes

[1] A statute providing for grandfather certificates for household goods carriers requires applications to be filed prior to a specific date.

[2] A showing of substantial and continuous operations prior to a statutory deadline may be sufficient for a commission to issue a household goods carrier certificate without…

Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Key Quotes

“all persons engaged in such transportation, which is not already authorized in a certificate issued by the commission and which prior hereto was exempted from regulation, may apply prior to April 1, 1968, for a certificate under § 323.03 to continue such transportation and the commission shall issue such certificates without the necessity of proving public convenience and necessity upon a showing of substantial and continuous operations prior hereto”

Establishes the statutory grandfather clause provision allowing operators to obtain certificates without proving public convenience and necessity based on prior substantial and continuous operations.

Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Facts & Procedural History

In August 1964, the Commission issued Certificate No. 862 to Mid-Florida Van Lines authorizing transportation of major household appliances in Brevard…

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Opinion of the Court
BOYD, Justice.

BOYD, Justice.

This cause is before us on petition for writ of certiorari to the Florida Public Service Commission.

Petitioner, on March 28, 1968, filed five applications for “grandfather certificates” under Florida Statute § 323.29(5), F.S.A., which provides in part as follows:

“The exemptions provided in this section shall not extend to the transportation of household goods by motor carrier and all such transportation between all points and places shall be subject to regulation under this part and subject to commission jurisdiction and control; provided, however, that all persons engaged in such transportation, which is not already authorized in a certificate issued by the commission and which prior hereto was exempted from regulation, may apply prior to April 1, 1968, for a certificate under § 323.03 to continue such transportation and the commission shall issue such certificates without the necessity of proving public convenience and necessity upon a showing of substantial and continuous operations prior hereto, with or without public hearing as the commission may deem necessary * * (e.s.)

Previously in August of 1964, the Commission had issued Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity No. 862 to Mid-Florida Van Lines, Inc. Certificate No. 862 authorized the transportation of major household appliances from dealers or warehouses to residences within Brevard County. All of the municipalities requested in five applications presently under consideration are in Brevard County.

The examiner held a hearing on the applications; found that the applicant had operated as a household goods carrier prior to August 4, 1968, and recommended the applications be granted. The Commission, after hearing, denied the applications, stating:

“One of the applicable cases referred to by protestants herein is Mercury Cab Owners Association vs. Miami Beach Transport, Inc., [Fla.] 77 So.2nd 837, which states the general rule as follows:
‘* * * it is recognized that as a general rule “the entire operation of persons engaged in the business of carriage should be subject to the exclusive regulation of either cities or towns or the Florida Railroad and Public Utilities Commission,” [State ex rel. City of Miami Beach v. Carter, Fla., 39 So.2d 552.] 39 So.2nd at page 553.’
“Thus, even if the applicant here was in a substantial and continuous operation as a local household goods mover in the various municipalities applied, such operations would be contrary to the holding in the above said case, as well as various Commission orders. If the Commission were to grant the applications herein, it would be rewarding applicant for engaging in what appears to be illegal moves.”

Petitioner contends that the Commission erred in holding that the case of Mercury Cab Owners Association v. Miami Beach Transport, Inc.,1 precluded granting the applications because, although petitioner had been issued Certificate No. 862, that certificate was dormant and petitioner’s operations during the years in question were not *683under the authority of Certificate No. 862 granted by the Commission.

Petitioner’s counsel did not learn that Certificate No. 862 was dormant in time to bring this matter to the attention of the Commission in connection with the applications under consideration. Since we feel that, in all fairness, the Commission should have an opportunity to consider the dormancy aspect, we remand the cause to the Commission for reconsideration of Order No. 8265 in light of the alleged dormancy of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity No. 862.

It is so ordered.

ERVIN, C. J., CARLTON and ADKINS, JJ., and MANN, District Court Judge, concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw