GEORGE C. SHARROW AND ELIZABETH SHARROW, HIS WIFE, APPELLANTS,
v.
CITY OF DANIA, ETC., ET AL., APPELLEES
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The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the revocation of a building permit issued by the City of Dania, holding that a municipality may revoke a permit when the permittee had notice of pending zoning legislation that would supersede the permit's terms, and that equitable estoppel does not apply when the permittee had adequate forewarning of regulatory change.
A municipality may revoke a building permit when the permittee had adequate forewarning of pending ordinances exercising the police power, as equitable estoppel does not apply when the permittee had good reason to believe the official determination would change. Vested property rights in a permit are subject to the valid exercise of municipal police power, particularly when pending legislation signals such exercise.
“The possession and enjoyment of all rights and property are subject to the valid exercise of the police power which is an aspect of sovereignty and all persons and property are subject to restraints and burdens necessary to secure the comfort, welfare and safety of the public.”
Establishes that property rights are subordinate to municipal police power exercised for public welfare.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOn October 31, 1953, the City of Dania Building Inspector issued the Sharrows a building permit to construct a building to the property line, but a se…
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THORNAL, Justice.
The Sharrows appeal from a decree denying relief to them in a proceeding brought to prevent the revocation of a building permit previously issued by the City of Dania.
On October 19, 1953, the City passed on first reading an ordinance requiring a 6-foot building set-back from the property line on a street known as Federal Highway. On October 31, 1953, the City Building Inspector issued to the Sharrows a building permit to construct a building on a lot abutting the street based upon plans which did not provide for a set-back. The permit authorized the building to be constructed to the property line. The set-back ordinance was passed on second reading and finally adopted on third reading, on November 2 and November 16, respectively.
On November 5 the Sharrows were notified that the permit had been “erroneously issued” and, therefore, was revoked. Between October 31 and November 5 the appellants had the site surveyed for a building, the trenches were dug for the foundation, trees and hedges were removed, batter boards were placed at the site, steel was ordered and delivered and a Supervisor of Construction was employed and lumber purchased.
The Chancellor, finding that the Shar-rows had actual or constructive knowledge of the pending ordinance, held that they could not invoke the doctrine of equitable estoppel against the City and refused to disturb the revocation of the permit.
On appeal the appellants contend that the permit was a vested property right which could not be destroyed under Section 1 of the Declaration of Rights of the Florida Constitution, F.S.A. and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. They further assert that principles of equitable estoppel are applicable and should be enforced.
Contrary to the contention of the appellants we find, upon a careful analysis of the record, that the Chancellor had sufficient testimony before him to sustain his conclusion that the appellants had adequate forewarning of the pending ordinance when they applied for and received the building permit on October 31. If it were not for this fact, we might find an area for the application of the doctrine of equitable estoppel in their favor. With such forewarning, however, the doctrine cannot be applied.
The passage of a “set-back” ordinance involves an exercise of the police power of a municipality. Admittedly, rights of property are protected by constitutional guarantees. This protection, however, cannot be extended to mean that the use of property cannot be properly regulated under the police power in the interest of the general welfare. The possession and enjoyment of all rights and property are subject to the valid exercise of the police power which is an aspect of sovereignty and all persons and property are subject to restraints and burdens necessary to secure the comfort, welfare and safety of the public. See City of Miami Beach v. Texas Co., 141 Fla. 616, 194 So. 368, 128 A.L.R. 350. In the instant case, therefore, if rights to the permit became vested, such vesting was subject to the warning evidenced by the ordinance pending on first reading and, therefore, subject to the ultimately completed exercise of the police power which was signaled by the pending ordinance.
This is not a case of sudden, unexpected, arbitrary action by the public officials. Here the permittee was fully on notice that the City was proceeding to exercise its police power which ultimately emerged in the adoption of the ordinance on the third reading. See Bregar v. Britton, Fla.1954, 75 So. 2d 753, and Texas Co. v. Town of Miami Springs, Fla.1950, 44 So. 2d 808. In the cases last cited we held that under appropriate circumstances the doctrine of equitable estoppel may be applied against a municipality but as pointed out in Bregar v. Britton, supra, such cases are not to be compared with those similar to the one at bar where the party claiming to have been injured by relying upon an official determination had good reason to believe before or while acting to his detriment that the official mind would soon change. See also Miami Shores Village v. Wm. N. Brockway Post, 156 Fla. 673, 24 So. 2d 33. There is no attack on the ordinance as being unreasonably discriminatory against the appellants as compared to others similarly conditioned.
The decree is, therefore, affirmed.
DREW, C. J., and THOMAS and HOB-SON, JJ., concur.
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Citator
Cited By (21 total)
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Sakolsky v. The City OF Coral Gables, 151 So. 2d 433 (Fla. 1963)…p., 139 So. 2d 504. . Art. V, Sec. 4, Fla.Const., F.S.A. . Texas Co. v. Town of Miami Springs, Fla.1950, 44 So. 2d 808; Bregar v. Britton, Fla.1954, 75 So. 2d 753; Gross v. [*434] City of Miami, Fla.1953, 62 So. 2d 418; Sharrow v. Dania, Fla.1955, 83 So. 2d 274; City of Fort Lauderdale v. Lauderdale Industrial Sites, Inc., Fla.App.1957, 97 So. 2d 47; City of Miami v. State ex rel. Ergene, Inc., Fla.App.1961, 132 So. 2d 474; City of Jacksonville v. Waldrep, Fla.1953, 63 So. 2d 768; Voelker v. Combined Ins.…
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State of Fla. ex rel. Jaytex Realty Co. v. Green, 105 So. 2d 817 (Fla. 1st DCA 1958)…ground of mistake or fraud. The facts in this proceeding are almost identical with those appearing in the cases of Miami Shores Village v. Wm. N. Brockway Post No. 124 of American Legion, 156 Fla. 673, 24 So. 2d 33; Sharrow v. City of Dania, Fla., 83 So. 2d 274; and City of Fort Lauderdale v. Lauderdale Industrial Sites, Inc., Fla.App., 97 So. 2d 47. The record in this case shows no justification for the application of the doctrine of equitable estoppel. All other questions and principles of law raised by…
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Zabel v. Pinellas Cnty. Water & Navigation Control Auth., 171 So. 2d 376 (Fla. 1965)…and private interest in submerged lands with such authority to be exercised through joint administrative action of local and state officers. In City of Miami Beach v. Ocean & Inland Co., 147 Fla. 480, 3 So. 2d 364; Sharrow v. City of Dania (Fla.), 83 So. 2d 274, and Knowles v. Central Allapattae Properties, 145 Fla. 123, 198 So. 819, and in other cases, this Court has said the government through the exercise of the police power may impose reasonable restrictions uptm the use of property in the interest of…
Previewing 3 of 21 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 Beach v. The Tex. Co., 141 Fla. 616 (Fla. 1940)
- Miami Shores Vill. v. WM. N. Brockway Post NO. 124 OF THE Am. Legion, 156 Fla. 673 (Fla. 1945)
- Tex. Co. v. Town of Miami Springs, 44 So.2d 808 (Fla. 1950)
- Bregar v. Britton, 75 So. 2d 753 (Fla. 1954)