Title: Adams v. Sutton

State: florida

Issuer: Florida Supreme Court

Document:

212 So. 2d 1 (1968)
Tom ADAMS, As Secretary of State of the State of Florida, et al., Appellants,
v.
Frank SUTTON, On Behalf of Himself and Others Similarly Situated, Appellees.
No. 36913.

Supreme Court of Florida.
June 5, 1968.
Rehearing Denied July 15, 1968.
*2 Earl Faircloth, Atty. Gen., and Robert A. Chastain, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellants.
Milton E. Grusmark and Natalie Baskin, Miami Beach, for appellees.
DREW, Justice.
Appellant in this case controverts a declaratory decree of the circuit court holding the following statute invalid under Sec. 1, 13, or 15, Decl. of Rights, Sec. 1, Art. VI, Fla. Const., F.S.A., or Amend. 14, U.S. Const.
The decree states:
This statute, prohibiting political contributions by liquor licensees, was designed to apply both to individual licensees and to those affiliated with group licensees, either unincorporated associations or corporate license holders. The amendment condemned by the decree in this case provides "these prohibitions shall not apply to members of" certain organizations of a fraternal nature. This language, in our opinion, simply excludes those organizations from the group licensees covered by the act, and prevents application of its prohibitions against contributions on the basis of affiliation with such licensees. We do not overlook the contention that the amendment might be literally construed, out of context, to provide that members of fraternal, social and cultural organizations shall be excluded from the prohibition against contributions, regardless of their status otherwise as individual or affiliate liquor licensees. Certainly this result was not intended and does not follow from our construction of the proviso, which by "these prohibitions" refers to prohibitions against contributions by affiliates of organization licensees.
Thus construed, we think the amendment must be regarded as based on inherent distinctions between the specified organizations and others for which beverage licenses might serve a different purpose. We are presented with no evidence, argument or authority which would negate the existence of a reasonable relationship between the purpose of the act and the classes excluded. So far as plaintiff based his attack on alleged discrimination between liquor licensees and other business endeavors, the situation is one governed by principles well stated in an earlier opinion of this Court recognizing that:
The Florida Constitution, Sec. 26 of Article 3, requires that laws be passed to prevent all undue influence from improper practice in the conduct of elections. Our decisions recognize that "what is an `improper practice' is for the Legislature to ascertain and prohibit under adequate penalties, within the reasonable limitations implied in the exercise of all expressly stated legislative powers."[1]
The decree is accordingly reversed and the cause remanded for disposition in accordance with this opinion.
THOMAS, ROBERTS, ERVIN and ADAMS, JJ., concur.
THORNAL, J., concurs in part and dissents in part with opinion.
CALDWELL, C.J., concurs in opinion by THORNAL, J.
THORNAL, Justice (concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I would strike from the statute the italicized proviso quoted in the opinion by Justice Drew. The legislature might have intended what the opinion assumes but it certainly did not so state. I fear that the opinion merely supplies a judicial assumption of legislative intent, contrary to the expressed language of the enactment. The proviso, I think, is unconstitutional. I would strike it and permit the remainder of the statute to stand. I concur in part and dissent in part.
CALDWELL, C.J., concurs.
[1]  Ex parte Hawthorne, Fla. 1934, 116 Fla. 608, 156 So. 619, 624, 96 A.L.R. 572.