JOHN H. COUSE AND BARNETTA S. COUSE, PETITIONERS,
v.
THE CANAL AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, A BODY CORPORATE UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
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Petitioners sought certiorari review of an order of taking in an eminent domain proceeding. The court held that while orders of taking are generally interlocutory and not appealable, certiorari is available where a justiciable issue regarding the legality of the taking is timely presented, because practical appellate review would otherwise be impossible after the land is physically altered.
An order of taking is reviewable by certiorari in eminent domain cases where the landowner timely presents a justiciable issue as to the necessity or legality of the taking. Although orders of taking are ordinarily interlocutory and not appealable, the court grants 'special dispensation' for certiorari review in such cases because practical appellate review would otherwise be impossible after the lands are dug out, cleared, and flooded.
“Once the subject lands are dug out, cleared, and flooded — all of which the Canal Authority will have the right to accomplish by virtue of the order of taking— how then can it be said that a full and adequate remedy would be available to the landowners if at a later time the appropriate appellate court determined the original taking was illegal?”
Establishes the fundamental problem with denying immediate review—the practical impossibility of meaningful appellate relief after the land is physically altered.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe Canal Authority instituted eminent domain proceedings to condemn petitioners' lands for creation of the 'Rodman Pool.' An order of taking granted …
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ON MOTION TO DISMISS
Petitioners seek to review by certiorari an order of taking entered in an eminent domain proceeding instituted by respondent. We are here confronted with respondent’s motion to dismiss upon the principal grounds that the controverted order is an interlocutory order in a law action and is not reviewable by certiorari.
The order of taking granted possession of the lands sought to be condemned to respondent upon the condition that a designated sum of money be deposited in the registry of the court, which deposit was duly made. Thus, possession and title to the subject lands are now vested in the Canal Authority by reason of said order, and the question remaining to be resolved by final judgment is the amount of compensation to be paid to the landowners (petitioners). It is upon such a state of facts that we consider the Canal Authority’s instant motion to dismiss grounded, inter alia, upon the theory that the landowners have a full and adequate remedy by appeal after final judgment. Such a contention is obviously without merit, for the essential purpose of the talc-*302ing is to establish a body of water designated as the “Rodman Pool” over the lands of petitioners. Once the subject lands are dug out, cleared, and flooded — all of which the Canal Authority will have the right to accomplish by virtue of the order of taking— how then can it be said that a full and adequate remedy would be available to the landowners if at a later time the appropriate appellate court determined the original taking was illegal? Or stated another way, to agree with the Canal Authority’s position would be to hold that effective appellate review could not be had as to the questions of necessity, public purpose, due process, et al. as resolved in the quick supplemental proceeding by which an order of taking is entered. We shall not concern ourselves with the merits of the landowners’ objections to the entrance of the order of taking other than to observe that justiciable legal issues were timely tendered to the trial court prior to the entrance of the subject order.
An order of taking is not of sufficient finality from which an appeal may be taken. Wilson v. Jacksonville Expressway Authority, 110 So.2d 707 (1959). However, where a justiciable issue as to the necessity to taking is presented, the instanter vesting of title in the condemnor by the order of taking presents a decision in a law action which would merit the entertainment of a petition for certiorari. Howard Johnson, Inc. of Florida v. State Road Department, 90 So.2d 306 (1956). Our decision in State Road Department v. Bainbridge, 171 So.2d 609 (1965) is not applicable. There, the State Road Department sought review of interlocutory matters that were clearly reviewable after final judgment without material injury. Nor is the decision of this court in Georgia Southern and Florida Railway Co. v. Duval Connecting Railroad Company, November 8, 1966; Rehearing denied January 10, 1967, 193 So.2d 19, applicable, for in that cause an order of taking was not involved. Let it be clearly understood that we are not departing from the well settled principles of law defining the scope of common law certiorari as stated in Brooks v. Owen, Fla., 97 So.2d 693 (1957). However, in eminent domain cases, where the extraordinary supplemental procedure of “quick taking” of possession and title is utilized by the condemnor, and where the landowner timely presents a justiciable issue as to the legality of the talcing, we are inclined to grant “special dispensation” and entertain the petition for certiorari. We are not inclined to unduly delve into the merits of the petition upon a motion to dismiss.
The motion to dismiss is denied.
CARROLL, DONALD K., and JOHNSON, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Camp Phosphate Co. v. Marion Cnty., 194 So. 2d 302 (Fla. 1st DCA 1967)…ssue meriting immediate review has been shown, we exercise our discretion by treating the instant interlocutory appeal as a petition for writ of certiorari. See Section 59.45, Florida Statutes, F.S.A., and Couse v. Canal Authority, January 31, 1967, 194 So. 2d 301. From an examination of the record we conclude that the second and third grounds of defendant’s motion are without merit. The motion to dismiss is denied. RAWLS, C. J., and CARROLL, DONALD K., and JOHNSON, JJ., concur.…
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Seadade Indus., Inc. v. Fla. Power & Light Co., 232 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 3d DCA 1970)…rtiorari to review an order authorizing the taking of some of its real property by Florida Power & Light Company which was entered in the trial court. See Clark v. Gulf Power Co., Fla.App.1967, 198 So. 2d 368; Couse v. Canal Authority, Fla.App.1967, 194 So. 2d 301; and Camp Phosphate Co. v. Marion County, Fla.App.1967, 194 So. 2d 302. Florida Power & Light Company filed a petition seeking to condemn certain real property owned by Seadade, together with a Declaration of Taking. Fla.Stat. § 74.-031, F.S.A. It…
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Trien v. Dade Cnty., 222 So. 2d 456 (Fla. 2d DCA 1969)…ri where it did not conform to the essential requirements of law and delay in prosecuting an appeal therefrom would cause material injury for which remedy by appeal from the final judgment would be inadequate. Couse v. Canal Authority, Fla.App.1967, 194 So. 2d 301; Camp Phosphate Co. v. Marion County, Fla.App.1967, 194 So. 2d 302; Georgia Southern and Florida Ry. Co. v. Duval Connecting R. R. Co., Fla.App.1966, 193 So. 2d 19; State Road Dept. v. Bainbridge, Fla.App.1965, 171 So. 2d 609. The facts in the prese…
Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Maxwell J. Brooks v. Owens, 97 So. 2d 693 (Fla. 1957)
- Howard Johnson, Inc. v. State Rd. Dep't OF Fla., 90 So. 2d 306 (Fla. 1956)
- Wilson v. Jacksonville Expressway Auth., 110 So. 2d 707 (Fla. 1st DCA 1959)
- State Rd. Dep't of Fla. v. Eustas M. Bainbridge and Dora M. Bainbridge, 171 So. 2d 609 (Fla. 1st DCA 1965)
- Ga. S. & Fla. Ry. Co. v. Duval Connecting R.R. Co., 193 So. 2d 19 (Fla. 1st DCA 1966)