Case Title: Lipe v. City of Miami

Citation: 141 So. 2d 738

Docket Number: 

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 1962-05-16T00:00:00Z

Document:
141 So. 2d 738 (1962)
THOMAS B. LIPE, APPELLANT,
v.
CITY OF MIAMI ET AL., APPELLEES.
No. 31497.

Supreme Court of Florida.
May 16, 1962.
Rehearing Denied June 18, 1962.
*739 Cowart & Dollar, Brigham, Wright, Goodwin & Dence and E.F.P. Brigham, Miami, for appellant.
Milton M. Ferrell, Miami, for appellees.
Joseph J. Gersten, Miami, amicus curiae.
ROBERTS, Chief Justice.
The appellant, Thomas B. Lipe, was appointed to the office of Chief of Detectives of the City of Miami, on April 1, 1958. He served in this capacity until removed by administrative order of the City Manager on October 29th, 1960. At the time of his removal, appellant was reassigned to his regular civil service classification as a Detective Lieutenant.
The issues presented to this court for determination turn upon the constitutionality of Chapter 31001, Laws of Florida, Special Acts of 1955, which purports to amend Paragraph 1, Section 62, of the Charter of the City of Miami, by adding thereto a new subparagraph. However, the presence of certain ancillary issues requires that the facts and procedure followed in the instant case be set out in detail.
Upon becoming aware of his removal, appellant protested the same in writing and filed a complaint for a declaratory decree in which he, among other allegations, asserted his "doubt" as to whether Chapter 31001 violated Article III, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Florida, F.S.A. Appellees filed a motion to dismiss said complaint. This motion was granted with prejudice and without leave to amend on January 18, 1961. By his order, the Circuit Judge held:
The above language clearly indicates that the Circuit Court passed directly upon the validity of Chapter 31001, thus conferring jurisdiction by direct appeal upon this court. Article V, Section 4(2), Constitution of the State of Florida. Appellant thereafter filed a motion for leave to file an amended complaint, which was denied, and after which the controversy was brought here by direct appeal.
Section 62 of the Charter of the City of Miami divides the city's civil service into classified and unclassified categories. Unless otherwise provided, unclassified employees are appointed and removed at the pleasure of the City Manager. See Bryan v. Landis, 106 Fla. 19, 142 So. 650. The removal and suspension of classified employees, *740 however, is governed by Section 65 of the Charter, which provides:
If the appellant, as Chief of Detectives, was a classified employee, the mandatory procedural requirements of Section 65 were not complied with. See State ex rel. Bauder v. Markle, 107 Fla. 742, 142 So. 822, 823.
Historically, from the date of the enactment of the City Charter until 1955, the office of the Chief of Detectives was a classified service. However, in 1955, the Legislature adopted a special act, being Chapter 31001, by which it apparently increased the enumerated number of positions falling within the unclassified civil service category. Said Act provided as follows:
It is admitted that if Chapter 31001 is valid, then the office of the Chief of Detectives is an unclassified service and the appellant's removal was valid. However, appellant asserts that said statute violates Article III, Section 16, of the Florida Constitution, which provides:
Appellant has asserted that Chapter 31001 is invalid because the title thereof is highly deceptive and misleading. We find this position to be without merit. The title in question meets the standards prescribed by Article III, Section 16, and the case law interpreting said constitutional provision. As Mr. Justice Thomas indicated in the case of Nichols v. Yandre et al., 151 Fla. 87, 9 So. 2d 157, 158, 144 A.L.R. 1351,
Even a cursory examination of the title in question alerts all interested parties to the fact that the Act purports to add certain positions to the unclassified civil service category. The title in question being neither deceptive nor misleading, adequately conforms to the constitutional requirements of Article III, Section 16.
Appellant's next contention is that Chapter 31001 is unconstitutional because it does not comply with that portion of Article III, Section 16 of the Florida Constitution, requiring that the Act as revised or amended shall be re-enacted and published at length.
This technical argument at first blush appears to lack force in the face of our natural desire and responsibility to uphold the enactments of the Legislature. However, when we fix our sights upon the paramount purposes underlying the mandatory constitutional requirement in question, we are compelled to agree with the appellant. By prior decision, this court has held that the provisions as to the publishing at length of an act as revised or a section as amended do not relate to the matter of the title of the statute but that such requirement is mandatory and regulates the form in which the body of the amendatory act is to be put. The effect is that when the new act as amended is a revision of the entire original act or is an amendment of a section, sections, subsection of a section or paragraph of a subsection of a section, that the new act, section, subsection of a section, or paragraph of a subsection of a section, as the case may be, shall be set forth at length, so that the provisions as amended may be seen and understood in their entirety *742 by the Legislature. State ex rel. McQuaid et al. v. County of Duval, 23 Fla. 483, 507, 3 So. 193. The classic statement of the reasons supporting such constitutional provisions was made by Judge Cooley in the Michigan case of People v. Mahaney. We adopted Judge Cooley's language in the case of Van Pelt v. Hilliard, 75 Fla. 792, at page 809, 78 So. 693, at page 698, L.R.A. 1918E, 639, wherein the following appears:
In the Van Pelt opinion, we went on to say:
In many states similar constitutional provisions have been interpreted as follows:
An examination of the form of the Body of Chapter 31001 discloses that it sets forth a new subparagraph (c) which purportedly is added to Section 62, Paragraph 1 of the City Charter. The added subparagraph is not complete in itself, either as to sentence structure or as to meaning. The effect of its addition to Section 62, paragraph 1 can only be understood when subsection (c) *743 is read together with the lead-line of Paragraph 1, which provides:
Subparagraph (c), standing alone, as it is set out in Chapter 31001, is unintelligible and necessitates reference to Paragraph 1, which it purports to amend to give it meaning and scope. If the second portion of Article III, Section 16 of our Constitution is to have meaning at all, it must be applied to Chapter 31001.
Throughout our deliberation, we have kept in mind our obligation to overthrow only such acts as clearly offend the spirit and meaning of the Constitution. With reluctance we find Chapter 31001 to be such an Act. We further feel constrained to point out to all concerned that the language used herein to describe the evils contemplated by the last portion of Section 16, Article III, Florida Constitution, should be strictly limited to the facts of this case, keeping ever in mind that each succeeding case must of necessity stand or fall upon the language of the statutory revision or amendment involved. If the statutory enactment is complete and intelligible in itself without reference to the act it purports to amend, Article III, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Florida is satisfied.
The appellees and amicus curiae take the position that appellant should be estopped to question the constitutionality of Chapter 31001 by virtue of his having accepted the promotion to the office of Chief of Detectives and the benefits thereof. We have carefully examined the record before us with particular attention being given to the Circuit Court Judge's Order granting appellee's motion to dismiss. The record is devoid of a single fact which would indicate that this question was ever before the trial court. It is a rule of long standing that on appeal this Court will confine itself to a review of those questions, and only those questions, which were before the trial court. Matters not presented to the trial court by the pleadings or ruled upon by the trial court will not be considered by this court on appeal. Mariani v. Schleman, Fla., 94 So. 2d 829; Jones v. Neibergall, Fla., 47 So. 2d 605.
Moreover, appellant Lipe was under no obligation to assault the validity of the 1955 Act until he was adversely affected by it. This he did at the first opportunity.
For the reasons stated, the order of the Circuit Court herein is reversed and this cause remanded for further proceedings consistent herewith.
It is so ordered.
THOMAS, DREW, THORNAL and O'CONNELL, JJ., RAWLS, District Court Judge, and WALKER, Circuit Judge, concur.