Case Name: MOBILE AMERICA CORPORATION, INC., Appellant, v SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1973-05-24
Citations: 282 So. 2d 181
Docket Number: No. R-130
Parties: MOBILE AMERICA CORPORATION, INC., Appellant, v SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, Appellee.
Judges: SPECTOR, C. J., and RAWLS, J., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 282
Pages: 181–186

Head Matter:
MOBILE AMERICA CORPORATION, INC., Appellant, v SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, Appellee.
No. R-130.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
May 24, 1973.
Rehearing Denied Sept. 11, 1973.
Hugh M. Davenport of Greene, Greene, Smith & Davenport, Jacksonville, for appellant.
Harold B. Wahl of Loftin & Wahl, Nathan H. Wilson, Jacksonville, John A. Boykin, Jr., William D. Goddard, Atlanta, Ga., for appellee.
Hugh C. Macfarlane, of Macfarlane, Ferguson, Allison & Kelly, Tampa, D. Fred McMullen, Lee L. Willis, of Ausley, Aus-ley, McMullen, McGehee & Carothers, Edwin L. Mason, of Mason & Erwin, Tallahassee, J. Thomas Gurney, Tr.. of Gurney, Gurney & Handley and M. W. Wells of Maguire, Voorhis & Wells, Orlando, for amicus curiae.

Opinion:
JOHNSON, Judge.
Appellant appeals from an order dismissing its amended complaint.
In the amended complaint, we find the following paragraphs of count 1, to wit:
"4. By reason of the provisions of Section 364.03, Florida Statutes (1969), Defendant is required to provide its service in a prompt, expeditious and efficient manner, and its facilities, instrumentalities and equipment are required to be safe, kept in good condition and repair, and its appliances, instrumentalities and service shall be modern, adequate, sufficient and efficient.
"5. Notwithstanding this, Defendant failed to furnish service in a prompt, expeditious and efficient manner during November and December of 1971 because its facilities and equipment were not in good condition and repair and its appliances, instrumentalities and service were antiquated, inadequate, insufficient or inefficient in that incoming calls did not get through, incoming calls were cut off during conversation, incoming calls received a busy signal although the lines were not busy, incoming callers were informed that the phone had been disconnected, calls placed on 'hold' were cut off, and it was at times impossible to dial outgoing calls.
"6. Plaintiff is in the business of providing financing for mobile home sales and telephonic communications are an important adjunct of its business, without which it loses profits. The telephone service furnished to Plaintiff by Defendant has been inadequate, as alleged in Paragraph 5 above, and although Plaintiff repeatedly complained of such condition to Defendant, Defendant failed and refused to correct same during the period of time above mentioned.
"7. By reason of said inadequate telephone service, as alleged, Plaintiff has been unable to adequately communicate with his customers to arrange such mobile home financing as a result of which Plaintiff has lost profits it otherwise would have earned."
In its order dismissing the amended complaint, the trial court quoted paragraphs 4 and 5, supra, as being the material substance of the complaint and, after citing many cases and the statute regulating telephone companies, granted a motion to dismiss on the theory that the Florida Public Service Commission had exclusive jurisdiction in exercising the various functions described in F.S. Chapter 364, F.S.A. We agree with the trial court in this state-the statute wherein the Board is authorized ment of the statute, but we do not find in to fix and adjudicate damages for negligence on the part of the telephone company or for damages resulting from the telephone company's failure to comply with F. S. § 364.03, F.S.A.
In the amended complaint, the plaintiff was not seeking future compliance with the statute. It was seeking redress from alleged losses which had already accrued as the result of defendant's negligence. The plaintiff was not, under the circumstances stated here, required to pursue administrative remedies before resorting to the court where such remedies would be of no avail. The Board having no authority to fix and assess damages under the facts of this case, further pursuit of administrative relief would not have availed anything.
The plaintiff may have trouble trying to tie down the alleged damages to any negligence on the part of the defendant, but we think, and so hold, that count 1 of the amended complaint, including paragraphs 4, 5, 6 and 7, states a cause of action cognizable by the courts in this case.
The order dismissing the amended complaint is quashed and reversed and the amended complaint reinstated.
Reversed and remanded.
SPECTOR, C. J., and RAWLS, J., concur.
. City of Holly Hill v. State, 132 So.2d 29 (Fla.App.1st, 1961).