Case Title: Old South Duck Tours v. MAYOR & ALDERMEN

Citation: 272 Ga. 869, 535 S.E.2d 751

Docket Number: S00A1107

State: georgia

Court: Georgia Supreme Court

Date: 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

Document:
535 S.E.2d 751 (2000) 272 Ga. 869 OLD SOUTH DUCK TOURS et al. v. MAYOR & ALDERMEN OF the CITY OF SAVANNAH. No. S00A1107. Supreme Court of Georgia. October 10, 2000. *753 Mitchell & Associates, Bruce E. Mitchell, Alison Kyler Arce, Atlanta, Edwin W. King, Jr., Savannah, for appellant. James B. Blackburn, Peter A. Giusti, Abda L. Quillian, Savannah, for appellee. *752 BENHAM, Chief Justice. Appellants Old South Duck Tours and Amphibious Adventures[1] sought to use amphibious vehicles[2] approved by the appropriate state and federal agencies to operate an amphibious tour service in the City of Savannah ("the City"). The City has ordinances for the regulation and operation of guided tours within the Landmark Historic District of the City, and city officials maintained that Savannah City Code § 6-1548 prohibited the use of amphibious vehicles as tour service vehicles except on specific roads that are not located within the Historic District.[3] After the City expressed its intent to enforce the ordinance against appellants, appellants filed a declaratory judgment action in which they also sought injunctive relief. In their lawsuit, appellants contended that the local ordinance relied on by the City to prohibit appellants' amphibious vehicles was preempted by authority granted the Georgia Public Service Commission ("PSC"), and that the ordinance violated the Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. and Georgia Constitutions. The trial court conducted a one-day bench trial after which appellants were permitted to amend their complaint to also allege the unconstitutionality of Section 6-1502 of Savannah's city ordinances.[4] In its final order and judgment, the trial court rejected appellants' preemption argument and the constitutional attacks on the ordinances, and ruled that the City had jurisdiction to enact the challenged ordinances as "the legitimate exercise by a municipality of its police powers." In light of the amphibious vehicles' innovative qualities, the trial court found that the classification created by the ordinance was not arbitrary. In accordance with its findings, the trial court entered judgment in favor of the City and its officials, and appellants brought this appeal. 1. We address first appellants' contention that the trial court erred when it determined that state law does not preempt the City's ordinances prohibiting the use of amphibious vehicles as tour vehicles in the City's Historic District. Appellants maintain that the PSC's issuance to appellants of a certificate of public convenience and necessity, authorizing appellants to transport passengers in amphibious-type vehicles "between all points within the highway mileage radius of 50 miles of Savannah, Georgia, over no fixed route," preempts the City from prohibiting the amphibious vehicles' use as "tour vehicles" within the Historic District. *754 The concept of preemption is addressed in Article III, Section VI, Paragraph IV(a) of the Georgia Constitution, the "uniformity" clause, which provides: The constitutional provision precludes local or special laws when general laws exist on the same subject, and provides for an exception to the general rule of preemption when a local law is the result of the local government's exercise of its police powers, pursuant to authority granted by general law. Franklin County v. Fieldale Farms Corp., 270 Ga. 272(2), 507 S.E.2d 460 (1998). The General Assembly has authorized Georgia municipalities to enact local laws in order to regulate and control the use of public roads on the municipality's street system (OCGA § 32-4-92(a)(7)); and to prohibit or regulate the use of heavily traveled streets by any class or kind of traffic found to be incompatible with the normal and safe movement of traffic. OCGA § 40-6-371(a)(13). In OCGA § 46-7-2, the General Assembly vested in the PSC "the power to regulate the business of any person engaged in the transportation as a common or contract carrier of persons or property ... for hire by motor vehicle on any public highway of this state." Assuming for the sake of argument that the authority given the PSC to issue certificates of public convenience and necessity is a general law on the same subject as the ordinances at issue, the ordinances fall within the constitutional exception to the doctrine of preemption since the General Assembly enacted general laws authorizing the local government to exercise its police powers and enact the local laws at issue. Accordingly, the trial court did not err when it upheld the ordinances against appellants' preemption attack. 2. Appellants next contend that the trial court erred when it concluded that the ordinances at issue did not violate the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the state and federal constitutions. Before addressing the merits of appellants' contentions, we note that an ordinance under constitutional attack carries with it a presumption of constitutionality (State v. Brannan, 267 Ga. 315, 317, 477 S.E.2d 575 (1996)), and we have a duty to construe the legislation so as to uphold it as constitutional, if that is possible. Garner v. Harrison, 260 Ga. 866, 869, 400 S.E.2d 925 (1991). Only when it is established that the legislative enactment "manifestly infringes upon a constitutional provision or violates the rights of the people" will the statute be declared unconstitutional. Cobb County School District v. Barker, 271 Ga. 35(1), 518 S.E.2d 126 (1999). When a fundamental right is allegedly infringed by government action, substantive due process requires that the infringement be narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest. State of Ga. v. Jackson, 269 Ga. 308(1), 496 S.E.2d 912 (1998). Where, however, it is not a fundamental right that is infringed and the person complaining is not a member of a suspect class, the government action is examined under the rational basis test, the least rigorous level of constitutional scrutiny. City of Lilburn v. Sanchez, 268 Ga. 520(2), 491 S.E.2d 353 (1997). Since operation of a "tour vehicle" is not a fundamental right and tour business owners are not a suspect class, we apply the rational basis test. Id., at 522, 491 S.E.2d 353. Applying the tenets of the rational basis standard to the case at bar, we conclude that the trial court did not err when it ruled that the ordinances did not violate due process. The City's ordinance serves a legitimate public purpose as it regulates the use of heavily-traveled city streets by a certain type of vehicle. Since the ordinances realistically serve a legitimate public purpose by reasonably necessary means and are not unduly oppressive, they survive appellants' due process challenge. 3. Appellants contend the ordinances violate equal protection because their amphibious-vehicle tour service is not permitted to operate in the Historic District while tour services using land-only vehicles that have the same or similar length, height, width, and weight are allowed to operate. The Georgia and U.S. Constitutions require government to treat similarly situated individuals in a similar manner. City of Atlanta v. Watson, 267 Ga. 185(1), 475 S.E.2d 896 (1996). Where, as here, neither a fundamental right nor a suspect class is involved, "the legislative classification created by [the ordinances] can withstand constitutional assault '"when the classification is based on rational distinctions and bears a direct and real relation to the legitimate object or purpose of the legislation." (Cit.)' [Cit.]" Love v. State, 271 Ga. 398(2), 517 S.E.2d 53 (1999). All the Justices concur. [1] Old South Duck Tours is a Georgia corporation that operates as a booking agent for and management company of Amphibious Adventures, a Missouri corporation authorized to do business in Georgia as a motor common carrier certificated by the Georgia Public Service Commission. [2] The vehicles to be used are remanufactured military "land to sea" vehicles of World War II vintage (DUKWs). [3] Section 6-1548 specifically excludes "amphibious or boat-type vehicles" from operating as "tour service vehicles" in the City except in restricted areas not within the Historic District. [4] Section 6-1502(n) requires "tour service vehicles" to be "standard automobile, limousine, bus, van, or trolley-type vehicles compatible with and not damaging to the infrastructure and ambiance of the Historic District ... and shall not be amphibious or boat-type vehicles except as provided in Section 6-1548." See footnote 3 regarding of Section 6-148.