TOWN OF PONCE INLET, APPELLANT,
v.
PACETTA, LLC, ET AL., APPELLEE
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The Town of Ponce Inlet appeals a summary judgment invalidating a charter amendment and ordinance adopted by citizens' initiative referendum that restricted land use on Pacetta's property. The court affirmed, holding that the referendum violated Florida's Growth Management Act by affecting five or fewer parcels and thus was prohibited under section 163.3167(12).
The referendum and conforming ordinance are invalid because they affected five or fewer parcels in violation of section 163.3167(12). Pacetta's land constitutes a single parcel under the statutory definition, which includes land 'designated by its owner or developer as land to be used, or developed as, a unit' regardless of prior use or multiple intended uses.
[1] A citizens' initiative referendum is invalid if it affects five or fewer parcels of land, as defined by statute.
[2] A "parcel of land" under the Growth Management Act includes land designated by its owner for use or development as a unit, even if that use is planned for the future.
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“Section 163.3164(16) plainly defines 'parcel' to include land 'to be used, or developed, as a unit.' This language clearly contemplates consideration of a planned future use of the property, does not require that the owner file applications as a prerequisite to establishing its intended use of the property, and in no way limits the development 'unit' to single uses.”
Establishes the court's interpretation of the statutory definition of 'parcel' and rejects the Town's arguments regarding prior uses, permits, and multiple intended uses.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligencePacetta purchased multiple contiguous tracts totaling over sixteen acres and designated them as a single unit for a planned mixed-use development. The…
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The Town of Ponce Inlet (“the Town”) appeals a final summary judgment entered in favor of Pacetta, LLC (“Pacetta”), which invalidated a town charter amendment (adopted by referendum placed on the ballot through a citizens’ initiative petition) and conforming ordinance1 that elevated land use restrictions already in place on Pacetta’s property to the status of immutable charter provisions, most notably barring or restricting the construction and operation of dry boat storage facilities on the property. We review the matter de novo. Major League Baseball v. Morsani, 790 So.2d 1071, 1074 (Fla.2001) (holding that the de novo standard of review applies to a trial court’s decision to grant or deny summary final judgment); City of Hollywood v. Mulligan, 934 So.2d 1238 (Fla.2006) (applying de novo standard of review to lower court’s determination of validity of city ordinance). Finding that summary judgment was properly entered in Pacet-ta’s favor, we affirm.
On appeal, the Town first argues that a genuine issue of material fact existed regarding the number of “parcels” affected by the charter amendment. This issue was significant because section *841163.3167(12), Florida Statutes (2008),2 prohibits local initiatives or referenda in regard to development orders or comprehensive amendments affecting five or fewer “parcels,” as defined by section 163.3164(16). Cf. Preserve Palm Beach Political Action Comm. v. Town of Palm Beach, 50 So.Sd 1176, 1179 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010) (“The right of the people to vote on issues they are entitled to vote on is one of utmost importance in our democratic system of government. But there are issues — such as the right of a small landowner to use his property subject only to government regulations — which should not be determined by popular vote. Section 163.3167(12) rightfully protects the small landowner from having to submit her development plans to the general public and ensures that those plans will be approved or not, instead, by the elected officials of the municipality in a quasi-judicial process.”).
Although the number of parcels involved an issue of fact, Pacetta submitted uncon-troverted evidence that its land constituted a single parcel as defined in the Growth Management Act. Section 163.3164(16), Florida Statutes (2008), defines “parcel of land” as:
[A]ny quantity of land capable of being described with such definiteness that its locations and boundaries may be established, which is designated by its owner or developer as land to be used, or developed as, a unit or which has been used or developed as a unit.
In support of its summary judgment motion, Pacetta filed an affidavit, a deposition with exhibits, and sworn testimony from a hearing. Together, these clearly show that although the land was originally owned in smaller tracts by various prior owners, Pacetta purchased these tracts, which together comprised contiguous holdings of over sixteen acres, on which it sought to build a single, planned mixed-use development. The various deeds, legal descriptions and drawings submitted with the sworn testimony conclusively demonstrate that Pacetta’s land was “capable of being described with such definiteness that its locations and boundaries can be established.” The submissions also established, without contradiction, that the land had been “designated by its owner,” Pacetta, “as land to be used, or developed as, a unit.”
The Town argues, first, that the trial court should have looked only at the prior or existing uses of the property (i.e., whether it had been developed as a unit in the past); second, that Pacetta could not establish that it had designated the land to be used for its stated purpose because it had not yet applied to the Town for permits to construct the development; and, third, that a mixed-use development cannot qualify as a “parcel of land” because of its multiple intended uses.3 We reject these arguments as inconsistent with the plain language of the statute. Section 163.3164(16) plainly defines “parcel” to include land “to be used, or developed, as a unit.” This language clearly contemplates consideration of a planned future use of *842the property, does not require that the owner file applications as a prerequisite to establishing its intended use of the property,4 and in no way limits the development “unit” to single uses.
Because the evidence was uncontrovert-ed that the citizens’ initiative referendum affected five or fewer parcels,5 the trial court correctly determined that the referendum violated section 163.3167(12), and declared it invalid. With respect to the ordinance conforming the comprehensive plan to the referendum, it only makes sense to hold the ordinance invalid as well — as this would be the only way to give effect to section 163.3167(12). In reaching this conclusion, we have considered and rejected the Town’s argument that even if the referendum is declared invalid, the court is powerless to invalidate a legislative action of the board under the “fairly debatable” standard typically applicable to this type of board action. See Martin County v. Yusem, 690 So.2d 1288, 1294 (Fla.1997) (holding that “amendments to a comprehensive plan are legislative decisions subject to the fairly debatable rule”). This case is distinguishable from Yusem, which involved a governing board’s routine exercise of its normally broad discretion in enacting legislation. Here, the Board was taking the only course of action which appeared open to it by adopting a comprehensive plan amendment that mirrored the referendum enacted by the electorate. The Board had nothing to debate, and its perfunctory action in adopting the ordinance does not merit the deference that would be afforded to a board’s legislative determination that one of multiple available courses of action would best serve the needs of the public.
Finally, we note that although the trial court found the referendum and ordinance invalid on other grounds as well, we need not reach any other issue having found that summary judgment was properly entered — and the referendum and ordinance were properly held invalid — based on the application of section 163.3167(12).
AFFIRMED.
SAWAYA and ORFINGER, JJ., concur.
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The Town OF Ponce Inlet v. Pacetta, LLC, 226 So. 3d 303 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017)…ial process.”). The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Pacetta, invalidating the town charter amendment and conforming ordinance because it improperly affected five or fewer parcels of property. In Town of Ponce Inlet v. Pacetta, LLC, 63 So. 3d 840 (Fla. 5th. DCA 2011) (“Pacet-ta P’), this court affirmed the final summary judgment. We first addressed whether Pacetta’s sixteen acres of land were properly considered as ten separate parcels or one parcel. Pacetta, I, 63 So. 3d at 840-42. Section…
Authorities Cited
- Major League Baseball v. Morsani, 790 So. 2d 1071 (Fla. 2001)
- Martin Cnty. v. Melvyn R. Yusem, 690 So. 2d 1288 (Fla. 1997)
- City OF Hollywood v. Colon Bernard Mulligan, 934 So. 2d 1238 (Fla. 2006)