Case Name: In re The GOVERNMENT COMPLEX CASE, CONSOLIDATED
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1989-05-24
Citations: 543 So. 2d 866
Docket Number: No. 88-0024
Parties: In re The GOVERNMENT COMPLEX CASE, CONSOLIDATED.
Judges: DOWNEY and GLICKSTEIN, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 543
Pages: 866–867

Head Matter:
In re The GOVERNMENT COMPLEX CASE, CONSOLIDATED.
No. 88-0024.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
May 24, 1989.
Berman, Paley, Goldstein & Berman, New York, New York, and Alan C. Brandt, Jr., of Chappell & Brandt, P.A., Fort Laud-erdale, for appellant/cross appellee-Robert F. Wilson Inc.
Robert E. Pershes and Diane M. Perry of Pershes & Schwartz, P.A., Plantation, for appellee/cross appellant-Kessel Constr. Corp.
Lewis Vegosen Rosenbach & Fitzgerald, P.A., and Larry Klein of Klein, Beranek & Walsh, P.A., West Palm Beach, for ap-pellee/cross appellant-Sharsand Associates, Inc.

Opinion:
GUNTHER, Judge.
We agree with the appellant's assertion that the trial court erred in permitting the jury to determine whether appellee Shar-sand was a third party beneficiary under the Wilson trade agreement contract. Contract construction is a matter of law to be determined by the court. City of Orlando v. H.L. Coble Construction Co., 282 So.2d 25, 27 (Fla. 4th DCA), cert. denied, 288 So.2d 505 (Fla.1973). Since the contract clearly limits third party liability status to "contractors," a defined term under the contract which Sharsand, as a subcontractor, does not meet, the trial court should have ruled as a matter of law that Shar-sand was not a third party beneficiary to the contract. Therefore, we reverse that portion of the final judgment awarding Sharsand $90,250.00, plus interest. In all other respects we affirm the final judgment.
AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART.
DOWNEY and GLICKSTEIN, JJ., concur.