CITY OF MIAMI, PETITIONER,
v.
PEDRO BENITEZ, RESPONDENT
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The City of Miami sought certiorari to review a circuit court decision reversing a municipal court conviction for traffic violations and driving under the influence. The appellate court upheld the reversal, holding that the Metropolitan Court had exclusive jurisdiction over traffic violations in Dade County following county ordinances that divested municipal courts of jurisdiction.
The court upheld the circuit court's reversal, holding that the county ordinances were within the power of the Board of County Commissioners to enact and that as to traffic regulations, these ordinances superseded all municipal charters and ordinances in conflict therewith, divesting municipal courts in Dade County of all jurisdiction to adjudicate traffic violations.
“as to traffic regulations said ordinances superseded all municipal charters and ordinances in conflict therewith and divested municipal courts in Dade County of all jurisdiction to entertain, adjudicate or punish those charged with traffic violations as of March 1, 1958”
Establishes that county ordinances divested municipal courts of jurisdiction over traffic violations, which was the central holding
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligencePedro Benitez was charged in Miami municipal court with operating a motor vehicle in willful and wanton disregard for safety, violating traffic regula…
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Petition for writ of certiorari was filed in this court by the City of Miami to review a final judgment of the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, dated June 17, 1959, which reversed a judgment of conviction of the respondent in the municipal court of the City of Miami on May 31, 1958. The respondent was charged with operating a motor vehicle in a willful and wanton disregard for the safety and property of others, and otherwise disobeying certain traffic regulations as to speed and manner of operation of a motor vehicle on the streets of the City of Miami. In addition, the respondent was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcoholic and intoxicating beverages.
The Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, in the exercise of its final appellate jurisdiction, reversed the judgment of conviction rendered by the municipal court of the City of Miami, upon the ground that said court was without jurisdiction to hear and determine the charges against the respondent, but without prejudice to the petitioner, City of Miami, to prosecute respondent for the same alleged offenses in the Metropolitan Court of Dade County, Florida, for’violations of the’ traffic ordinances of said county. In so ruling, the Circuit Court relied upon the case of Miami Shores Village v. Cowart, Fla.1958, 108 So.2d 468:
Petitioner’s main contention here is that the Dade County traffic ordinance (57-12) and the Metropolitan. Court ordinance (57-13) are void because they conflict with Sections 20 and 21 of Article III of the Constitution of Florida, ■ F.S.A. In addition, petitioner urges that the county traffic ordinance did not bar municipalities from adopting the county traffic ordinance as a minimum standard and that the City of *464Miami had adopted such traffic ordinances and therefore had concurrent jurisdiction with the Metropolitan Court to try offenders of county traffic ordinances. This latter contention is based upon the premise that the Home Rule Charter of Dade County did not authorize the County Commission of Dade County to confer exclusive jurisdiction upon the Metropolitan Court.
Without belaboring the questions raised by the petitioner, suffice it to say that the Supreme Court of Florida has already answered these contentions adverse to the petitioner. See Miami Shores Village v. Cowart, supra, and City of Miami v. Keton, Fla.1959, 115 So.2d 547, 551 and City of Miami Beach v. Cowaft, Fla.1959, 116 So. 2d 432.
Of special significance here is the recent expression of the Supreme Court of Florida in City of Miami v. Keton, supra, where the court, in considering the ordinances setting the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Court and repealing county and municipal ordinances, resolutions, charters and special laws, as well as general laws, in conflict therewith, said:
“It is our view that this question is answered contrary to the contention of appellant in Miami Shores Village v. Cowart, Fla.1958, 108 So.2d 468. It further appears from all that has been said that the ordinances in question were within the power of the Board of County Commissioners to enact, that as to traffic regulations said ordinances superseded all municipal charters and ordinances in conflict therewith and divested municipal courts in Dade County of all jurisdiction to entertain, adjudicate or punish those charged vsith traffic violations as of March 1, 1958.” [Emphasis supplied.]
Accordingly, the petition for certiorari is denied.
PEARSON and CARROLL, CHAS., JJ., concur.
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Cited By (11 total)
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Metro. Dade Cnty. & the Bd. of Cnty. Comm'rs of Metro. Dade Cnty. v. City OF Miami, 396 So. 2d 144 (Fla. 1980)…rth Miami Beach v. Metropolitan Dade County, 317 So. 2d 110 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975); State ex rel. Lehman v. Buchanan, 190 So. 2d 594 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966); Carol City Utils., Inc. v. Dade County, 183 So. 2d 227 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966); City of Miami v. Benitez, 116 So. 2d 463 (Fla. 3d DCA 1959). See also In re Advisory Opinion of the Governor, 313 So. 2d 697 (Fla. 1975) (recognizing that, although the Dade County Commission has the power to fill vacant offices, the governor has the power to fill offices during a period o…
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Dade Cnty. v. City OF Miami Beach, 16 Fla. Supp. 145 (Dade Cty. Cir. Ct. 1960)…aw established in the Miami Shores suit have been cited with approval and followed in City of Miami v. Keton, Fla. 1959, 115 So. 2d 547; City of Miami Beach v. Cowart, Fla. 1959, 116 So. 2d 432; and in City of Miami v. Pedro Benitez, Fla. App. 1959, 116 So. 2d 463. The Dade County home rule amendment to the Florida constitution (section 11 of article VIII) authorized the home rule charter of government for Dade County to grant full power and authority to the board of county commissioners, as the legislative…
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City OF Miami v. Forrest F. Baldwin, 116 So. 2d 464 (Fla. 3d DCA 1959)…PER CURIAM. Certiorari denied on the authority of City of Miami v. Benitez, Fla.App.1959, 116 So. 2d 463, filed this date. HORTON, C. J., and PEARSON and CARROLL, CHAS., JJ., concur.…
Previewing 3 of 11 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Miami Shores Vill. v. Faris N. Cowart, 108 So. 2d 468 (Fla. 3d DCA 1958)
- City OF Miami v. Oise Keton, 115 So. 2d 547 (Fla. 1959)
- City OF Miami Beach v. Farls Cowart, 116 So. 2d 432 (Fla. 1959)