CITY OF CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND W. T. MCILWAIN, APPELLANTS,
v.
R. J. SEIFERTH, JR., INDIVIDUALLY AND DOING BUSINESS AS RUSTY PLUMBING CO., A SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP, AND PLUMBING INDUSTRY PROGRAM, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLEES

Fla. | 1956-05-25
TERRELL, ROBERTS, THORNAL and O’CONNELL, JJ., concur., THOMAS, J., agrees to the conclusion., HOBSON, J., not participating.
87 So. 2d 806 Florida Supreme Court (1956) Positive Treatment
Cited by 12 cases

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Synopsis

The Florida Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision enjoining the City of Coral Gables from enforcing an ordinance that allowed only licensed septic tank contractors to perform sewer connection work. The court held that Chapter 469, Florida Statutes, which requires plumbing licenses in cities over 7,500 population, is constitutional and prevails over the conflicting municipal ordinance.


Holding

The court held that Chapter 469 is constitutional and valid, and therefore Section 2 of the ordinance, being in clear conflict with the state statute, must fall. The court also held that the Plumbing Company is not entitled to recover attorney's fees from the City.


Key Quotes

“Any licensed septic tank contractor in the City of Coral Gables shall have the privilege of doing said work.”

The ordinance provision at issue that conflicted with state plumbing licensing requirements

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Facts & Procedural History

The City of Coral Gables installed a sanitary sewer system and enacted an ordinance requiring all buildings to connect to lateral sanitary sewers and …

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Opinion of the Court
DREW, Chief Justice.

DREW, Chief Justice.

The City of Coral Gables, the appellant here, installed a sanitary sewer system and passed ah ordinance requiring all buildings to connect directly with the lateral sanitary sewers adjacent to said property immediately upon the lateral being available for such purpose. The ordinance provided the method of the connection to be made and that upon such connection being completed, any septic tank being theretofore used was to be discontinued and filled in with well tramped soil. Section 2 of the ordinance which brought on this controversy between the City and the appellee Plumbing Company provided that “Any licensed septic tank contractor in the City of Coral Gables shall have the privilege of doing said work.” The lower court, in a suit filed by the Plumbing Company for injunction, held that Section 2 of the ordinance was in conflict with Chapter 469, Florida Statutes, 1953, F.S.A., which provides that “any person engaged in or working at the business of plumbing in cities of seven thousand five hundred population or more in this state, either as master plumber or employing plumber or as journey'man plumber shall first receive a certificate thereof in accordance with the provisions of this chapter”, and permanently enjoined the appellant City from enforcing said Section and denied attorney’s fees to the attorney for the Plumbing Company.

It was stipulated in the lower court by the parties to this appeal that the work which the ordinance authorized any licensed septic tank contractor to do was “plumbing” within the contemplation of said Chapter 469. We wish to observe that this question is not present in this appeal and we do not by our holding in this case, pass upon it, directly or indirectly.

Two questions are presented on this appeal. Appellant City argues that the ordinance is valid because the legislative act is unconstitutional. Appellee, on cross-assignment, argues the lower court erred in failing to allow attorney’s fees to its attorney.

We dispose of the latter question first.

We find no merit in Appellee’s contention that it is entitled to have the City pay its attorney for representing it in this action. The decree of the chancellor, therefore, with respect to this matter was without error. As to the first question, the action of the Legislature in limiting the application of Chapter 469, F.S.A. to cities of over 7,500 population was clearly within the legislative field, particularly when we consider the subject matter with which it was concerned. The fact that the act does not apply to all cities and towns of the state does not, within itself, render the statute unconstitutional. See Gandy v. Borras, 114 Fla. 503, 154 So. 248, and the cases there cited. Holding, therefore, as we do, that Chapter 469, F.S.A. is a valid and constitutional law, it follows that Section 2 of the ordinance under attack, being clearly in conflict with the act itself, must fall. The decree appealed from is therefore,

Affirmed.

TERRELL, ROBERTS, THORNAL and O’CONNELL, JJ., concur. THOMAS, J., agrees to the conclusion.

HOBSON, J., not participating.


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Citator

Cited By

  • City OF Miami Beach v. Fleetwood Hotel, Inc., 261 So. 2d 801 (Fla. 1972)
    …ted to be exercised which may affect the operation of a state statute, the doubt is to be resolved against the ordinance and in favor of the statute. City of Wilton Manors v. Starling, 121 So. 2d 172 (Fla.App.1960), City of Coral Gables v. Seiferth, 87 So. 2d 806 (Fla.1956). Section 16 A.5 D provides: “It shall be unlawful for any person to remove a housing unit from the market if the same will result in eviction.” F.S. 83.04, F.S.A. provides a tenancy at will may be terminated by either party upon giving…
  • City OF Wilton Manors v. Starling, 121 So. 2d 172 (Fla. 2d DCA 1960)
    …any doubt exists as to the extent of a power attempted to be exercised which may affect the operation of a state statute, the doubt is to be resolved against the ordinance and in favor of the statute. See City of Coral Gables v. Seiferth, Fla. 1956, 87 So. 2d 806; Ex parte Wise, 141 Fla. 222, 192 So. 872; 23 Fla.Jur. Municipal Corporations, sec. 93. Municipal ordinances in the field of legislation affecting the subject of alcoholic beverages have presented difficult problems to the courts as to when and to…
  • City OF Hollywood v. Bair, 93 So. 2d 60 (Fla. 1957)
    …I think the chancellor below was entirely correct in the conclusion he reached in this litigation. His decree was rendered on the 7th day of February, 1956. On May 25th, 1956 this court handed down the opinion in City of Coral Gables v. Seiferth, 87 So. 2d 806. The Coral Gables case, supra, I think presents an identical situation to that presented in this appeal and should be controlling here. It may be suggested that because in the Coral Gables case there was a stipulation by the parties to the ef.fect t…

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