TORTOISE ISLAND HOMEOWNER'S ASSOCIATION, INC., ETC., APPELLANT/CROSS-APPELLEE,
v.
TORTOISE ISLAND GROUP LTD., ETC., ET AL., APPELLEE/CROSS-APPELLANT

Fla. 5th DCA | 1985-09-19
No. 84-1567
COBB, C.J., and ORFINGER, J., concur.
475 So. 2d 999 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (1985)

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Synopsis

The Tortoise Island Homeowner's Association appealed a declaratory judgment favoring the Developer, arguing the trial court failed to rule on the issues presented and instead decided a question about public streets that was neither pleaded nor argued. The appellate court reversed and remanded, finding the trial court improperly adjudicated the rights of Brevard County without the County's participation.


Holding

The trial court's judgment must be reversed and remanded because the court failed to adjudicate the interests and rights of the Association and Developer as requested in the complaint, and instead improperly adjudicated the rights of Brevard County without the County appearing in the case.


Headnotes

[1] A trial court commits reversible error by failing to rule upon the specific question presented in a complaint for declaratory relief.

[2] A trial court commits reversible error by adjudicating the rights of a party not present in the litigation.

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Key Quotes

“the trial court entered a judgment, finding that the Developer had unqualified access on, over and across the streets shown on the recorded plats since they were "public streets" by virtue of the dedications to Brevard County contained in each of the recorded plats.”

Describes the trial court's holding, which the appellate court found improper because it adjudicated County rights without the County being a party.

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Facts & Procedural History

The Developer owned a Planned Unit Development (PUD) consisting of three phases—Phase I on the mainland and Phases II and III on barrier islands in th…

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Opinion of the Court
KIRKWOOD, L.R., Associate Judge.

KIRKWOOD, L.R., Associate Judge.

Tortoise Island Homeowner’s Association, Inc. (Association) seeks to set aside a declaratory judgment in favor of Tortoise Island Group LTD., et al. (Developer) wherein the trial court failed to rule upon the question presented and reached a decision based upon an issue not in the pleadings or arguments of counsel.

The Developer acquired title to various lands including a barrier island lying in the Banana River in Brevard County, Florida, separated from the mainland by a waterway known as the Grand Canal. This land is a Planned Unit Development (PUD) in separate phases. Phase I is located on the mainland and Phases II and III are located on islands in the Banana River. The sole access to Phase II is over an entrance road through Phase I and over a bridge and the sole access to Phase III is over the roads and bridges of Phases I and II. The sole access to the undeveloped property to the north of Phase III is through Phases I, II and III of the Tortoise Island PUD.

The Developer recorded a Declaration of Restrictions which provided for the Association to administer the operation and maintenance of the common areas of the PUD. The Association sought to prevent the Developer from having construction vehicles and equipment traverse along the streets, roads and bridges of Phases I and II on the way to the work site for the development of Phase III, and sought declaratory relief. The Association’s and the Developer’s respective rights regarding the streets were at issue before the trial court.

After a non-jury trial, the trial court entered a judgment, finding that the Developer had unqualified access on, over and across the streets shown on the recorded plats since they were “public streets” by virtue of the dedications to Brevard County contained in each of the recorded plats. The trial court’s failure to adjudicate the interests and rights of the Association and the Developer as requested in the complaint for declaratory relief and its adjudication of the rights of Brevard County without the County’s appearance in the case requires reversal and remand for the entry of an appropriate declaratory judgment. Lewis v. City of Atlantic Beach, 467 So. 2d 751 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985); 7200 Corp. v. Town of Medley, 340 So. 2d 1281 (Fla.3d DCA1977); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees v. City of Ft. Lauderdale, 273 So. 2d 441 (Fla. 4th DCA1973); City of Miami Beach v. Klinger, 179 So. 2d 864 (Fla.3d DCA1965).

REVERSED and REMANDED.

COBB, C.J., and ORFINGER, J., concur.


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