Case Name: Joseph T. DeGREGORIO, Petitioner, v. William F. BALKWILL, etc., Respondent
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2003-08-21
Citations: 853 So. 2d 371
Docket Number: No. SC02-1161
Parties: Joseph T. DeGREGORIO, Petitioner, v. William F. BALKWILL, etc., Respondent.
Judges: ANSTEAD, C.J., and PARIENTE and QUINCE, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 853
Pages: 371–380

Head Matter:
Joseph T. DeGREGORIO, Petitioner, v. William F. BALKWILL, etc., Respondent.
No. SC02-1161.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Aug. 21, 2003.
Susan J. Silverman, Sarasota, FL, for Petitioner.
Sarah E. Warren, Sarasota, FL, for Respondent.

Opinion:
CANTERO, J.
We review In re Forfeiture of One 1988 Lincoln Town Car, 826 So.2d 342 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002), which certified conflict with In re Forfeiture of One (1) 1994 Honda Prelude, 730 So.2d 334 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999). We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. We must determine the effect of the deadlines for filing forfeiture complaints that sections 932.701(2)(c) and 932.704(4), Florida Statutes (1999), impose on state agencies that seize property. As explained below, we hold that such deadlines are mandatory.
I.
The Sheriffs office of Sarasota County investigated possible criminal activity in volving two vehicles, a grey 1986 Lincoln Town Car and a blue 1988 Lincoln Town Car, located on Petitioner Joseph T. De-Gregorio's business property. The investigation revealed that the vehicle identification numbers on the cars had been altered. DeGregorio owned title to the 1986 Lincoln, but no record showed that the 1988 Lincoln was titled or registered in Florida.
In July 1999, the Sheriff seized both vehicles. Almost four months later, the Sheriff filed a complaint for forfeiture against the two vehicles under the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act, sections 932.701-.707, Florida Statutes (1999) (the "Act"). The Sheriff later learned that in 1987, Budget Rent-A-Car of New York had reported the 1988 Lincoln stolen. The car never had been recovered. The Sheriff notified Budget of the seizure, and Budget released its interest to the Sheriff.
DeGregorio filed a claim to both vehicles in the forfeiture proceeding. To show his ownership, DeGregorio produced bills of sale from Tommy G's Auto Sales for both cars. He also produced a Florida vehicle registration for the 1986 Lincoln. He asserted that he neither knew nor should have known that the 1988 Lincoln was stolen or was contraband and that he was the true owner, as evidenced by the bill of sale. The Sheriff filed a motion to strike DeGregorio's answer for lack of standing as to the 1988 Lincoln. DeGregorio responded that he had standing because he was a bona fide purchaser for value. The trial court denied the Sheriffs motion to strike. DeGregorio then moved for summary judgment, asserting that because the Act required the Sheriff to file the forfeiture complaint within 45 days after the seizure and the complaint was filed after that deadline, the forfeiture should be dismissed. The trial court agreed, relying on One 1994 Honda Prelude, 730 So.2d at 384, and granted summary judgment in DeGregorio's favor.
The Sheriff appealed. The Second District reversed the summary judgment as it applied to the 1988 Lincoln because it concluded that DeGregorio lacked standing to assert a claim to the vehicle. Id. at 344. The court also held that the Act did not bar the Sheriff from initiating a forfeiture action more than 45 days after seizure. Id.
II.
When interpreting statutes and discerning legislative intent, courts must first look at the actual language of the statute. Joshua v. City of Gainesville, 768 So.2d 432, 435 (Fla.2000). Legislative intent is determined primarily from the statute's language. Hayes v. State, 750 So.2d 1, 3 (Fla.1999). Moreover, because forfeiture actions are considered harsh extractions, this Court has long followed a policy of strictly construing forfeiture statutes. Byrom v. Gallagher, 609 So.2d 24, 26 (Fla.1992); Dep't of Law Enforcement v. Real Prop., 588 So.2d 957, 961 (Fla.1991). Therefore, any ambiguity in the statute must be construed against forfeiture.
In deciding this case, we must interpret several provisions of the Act. Section 932.704(4) provides: "The seizing agency shall promptly proceed against the contraband article by filing a complaint in the circuit court within the jurisdiction where the seizure or the offense occurred." (Emphasis added.) Section 932.701(2)(c) defines "promptly proceed" as "to file the complaint within 45 days after seizure."
A separate provision also refers to this time limitation. Section 932.703 is entitled "Forfeiture of contraband article; exceptions." Subsection (3) provides:
Neither replevin nor any other action to recover any interest in such property shall be maintained in any court, except as provided in this act; however, such action may be maintained if forfeiture proceedings are not initiated within 15 days after the date of seizure. However, if good cause is shown, the court may extend the aforementioned prohibition to 60 days.
(Emphasis added.) This section allows someone with an interest in seized property to file a replevin action if the seizing agency fails to file a complaint within 45 days after seizure (unless the court grants an extension to 60 days).
The Second District nevertheless concluded that none of these provisions, or any other, bars a seizing agency from initiating a forfeiture action more than 45 days after seizure. The court held that the time periods operate only as a temporary prohibition or limitation on replevin actions and other claims by third parties and not as a jurisdictional bar. One 1988 Lincoln Town Car, 826 So.2d at 344. The Fifth District held to the contrary in One 1994 Honda Prelude, 730 So.2d at 336. In that case, the seizing agency waited over ten months after the seizure to even notify the petitioner of the seizure. The Fifth District concluded that section 932.703(3) allows the trial court to extend the 45-day filing requirement to 60 days for good cause, but that this time period runs from the date of seizure. 730 So.2d at 336. The Fifth District held that the agency's failure to "promptly proceed" in its forfeiture of the vehicle required the vehicle's return to its owner. Id.
Section 932.704(4) plainly states that the seizing agency "shall promptly proceed against the contraband article by filing a complaint in the circuit court within the jurisdiction where the seizure or the offense occurred." Promptly proceed is defined in section 932.701(2)(c) as "to file the complaint within 45 days after seizure." Thus, to initiate a forfeiture proceeding against property, the Act requires the seizing agency to file a complaint within 45 days of seizure.
The only dispute here is whether the 45-day requirement is mandatory. The plain language of the statute answers that question. The statute uses the word "shall" to describe the seizing agency's duty to file the complaint. "Generally, where the word 'shall' refers to some required action preceding a possible deprivation of a substantive right, the word is given its literal meaning." Stanford v. State, 706 So.2d 900, 902 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998) (relying on S.R. v. State, 346 So.2d 1018, 1019 (Fla.1977), and Neal v. Bryant, 149 So.2d 529, 532 (Fla.1962)). In Neal, we explained that in its normal usage, "shall" has a mandatory connotation. Id. Only when a particular provision relates to some immaterial matter, where compliance is a matter of convenience rather than substance, or where the statute's directions are given merely with a view to the proper, orderly and prompt conduct of business is the provision generally regarded as directory. Id. (quoting Reid v. Southern Dev. Co., 52 Fla. 595, 42 So. 206 (1906)). "Most certainly, where the statute provides for .the deprivation of a property right, the procedural requirements . in question cannot be regarded as an 'immaterial matter' or a 'matter of convenience rather than substance.' " Id.
Because the statute here provides for the deprivation of a property right, its procedural requirements cannot be regarded as immaterial or a matter of mere convenience. We hold that the requirement in section 932.704(4) to "promptly proceed" with a forfeiture action is mandatory, and that under section 932.701(2)(c), "promptly proceed" means what it says: "to file the complaint within 45 days after seizure."
We note that in Real Property, we held the Act constitutional only because we read into it certain procedures necessary to protect due process rights. 588 So.2d at 968. Among other defects, we noted that "the Act does not set out any procedures for filing the [forfeiture] petition." Id. at 966. In 1992, the Legislature substantially amended the Act in reaction to Real Property. Among other things, the changes added the current definition of "promptly proceed" as the term is used in section 932.704(1), which provides that the state attorney "shall promptly proceed against the contraband article." See ch. 92-54, § 1, Laws of Fla. The Legislature also amended section 982.703(3), which allowed an action for replevin if forfeiture proceedings were not initiated within 90 days after seizure, to allow a replevin action after only 45 days. See id. § 3. Therefore, in addition to the plain language of the statute, because the 1992 amendments were intended to remedy procedural defects in the Act, and because the amendments provide a more structured framework for forfeiture actions, we conclude that the Legislature intended that the seizing agency's obligation to file a forfeiture complaint within 45 days of seizure is mandatory.
Several states have interpreted their forfeiture statutes in the same manner. For example, in State v. 1978 LTD II, 216 Mont. 401, 701 P.2d 1365 (1985), the Supreme Court of Montana interpreted a statutory provision requiring that a "seizing agency who seizes any property . under the provisions of this chapter, shall, within 45 days of the seizures, file a notice of the seizure and intention to institute forfeiture proceedings with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the seizure occurs." Mont.Code § 44-12-201 (1984). Finding that the "language of this statute is mandatory," and that there was no provision for an extension of the time limit, the Montana court concluded that the notice of seizure and intent to initiate forfeiture proceedings must be served on the owners of the property within 45 days. 1978 LTD II, 701 P.2d at 1365. The court also noted that because such seizures are ex parte, the statutory safeguards should be rigidly adhered to. See id.
In concluding that the language of the statute is mandatory, the Montana court relied on State v. Rosen, 72 Wis.2d 200, 240 N.W.2d 168 (1976). In Rosen, the forfeiture statute at issue required that the "district attorney . shall commence the forfeiture action within 15 days after the seizure of the property." Wis. Stat. § 161.555(2)(a) (1973) (emphasis added). The Supreme Court of Wisconsin concluded that the "nature and scope of the forfeiture action, as well as consideration of the interests of the state and the property owner, lead us to conclude that the provisions of [the forfeiture statute] must be considered mandatory." Rosen, 240 N.W.2d at 172.
Likewise, in Haina v. Commonwealth, 235 Va. 571, 369 S.E.2d 401, 404 (1988), the Supreme Court of Virginia interpreted a statutory provision providing for the forfeiture of all motor vehicles used in connection with the illegal manufacture, sale, or distribution of controlled substances. The statute required that within 60 days after receiving notice of the seizure of any such vehicle, the Commonwealth's attorney "shall file, in the name of the Commonwealth, an information against the seized property, in the clerk's office of the circuit court of the county . wherein the sei zure was made." Va.Code § 4-56(d) (1984) (emphasis added). Relying on an earlier case which considered the effect of an untimely information, the court found that the failure of the Commonwealth's attorney to file within the prescribed time rendered the information "a nullity . the same as if no information had been filed." 369 S.E.2d at 404 (quoting Cason v. Commonwealth, 181 Va. 297, 24 S.E.2d 435, 438 (1943)). Because the information was untimely filed, the court reversed the order of forfeiture and remanded to the trial court to restore the seized property to its owner. Haina, 369 S.E.2d at 404. Thus, our holding today is consistent with that of other states that have considered similar statutes.
The parties also dispute the remedy available when the seizing agency fails to file the complaint within 45 days of seizure. Because the statute must be strictly construed, it follows that if the seizing agency fails to file the complaint within the prescribed time, the forfeiture proceeding can be dismissed on the claimant's motion. Where the seizing agency fails to file any action at all, section 932.703(3) allows a claimant to file a re-plevin action to recover the property. If a potential claimant could not seek to dismiss a late-filed forfeiture complaint, the statute's mandate that such complaints be filed "promptly" would be rendered illusory.
III.
Accordingly, we quash the Second District's decision, approve the decision of the Fifth District in One 1994 Honda Prelude, and remand to the district court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
It is so ordered.
ANSTEAD, C.J., and PARIENTE and QUINCE, JJ., concur.
WELLS, J., dissents with an opinion, in which LEWIS and BELL, JJ., concur.
. The legislature added fourteen requirements to the Act after Real Property. For a detailed discussion of these amendments, see Richard A. Purdy, Contraband Forfeiture: 1993 Survey of Florida Law, 18 Nova L.Rev. 213 (1993).
. We do not address the issue of Petitioner's standing to challenge the forfeiture of the vehicles because it is beyond the scope of the certified conflict in this case.