Case Title: Vinales v. State

Citation: 394 So. 2d 993

Docket Number: 

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 1981-02-19T00:00:00Z

Document:
394 So. 2d 993 (1981)
Juan VINALES, Antonio Luis Alvarez, and Jose Fernandez De Castro, Appellants,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 57782.

Supreme Court of Florida.
February 19, 1981.
Richard A. Beiley, Lawrence E. Besser and Benedict P. Kuehne of Bierman, Sonnett, Beiley & Shohat, Miami, for appellants.
Jim Smith, Atty. Gen., and Paul Mendelson, Asst. Atty. Gen., Miami, for appellee.
McDONALD, Justice.
This is a direct appeal from the Third District Court of Appeal, 374 So. 2d 570 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979), in which the appellants' convictions for bookmaking were affirmed. The district court initially and directly construed article II, section 5(a) of the Florida Constitution; we have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const. (1972).
The question before the Court is whether a temporary nonpaying appointment of two City of Miami police officers as investigators of the State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit for the purpose of completing a valid investigation violated *994 the article II, section 5(a) prohibition against dual office holding.[*] We hold that it did not and adopt the following language from the district court opinion:
Id. at 572.
The convictions are affirmed.
It is so ordered.
SUNDBERG, C.J., and ADKINS, BOYD, OVERTON, ENGLAND and ALDERMAN, JJ., concur.
[*]  Art. II, § 5(a), Fla. Const.

No person holding any office of emolument under any foreign government, or civil office of emolument under the United States or any other state, shall hold any office of honor or of emolument under the government of this state. No person shall hold at the same time more than one office under the government of the state and the counties and municipalities therein, except that a notary public or military officer may hold another office, and any officer may be a member of a constitution revision commission, constitutional convention, or statutory body having only advisory powers.