Case Name: BROWARD COUNTY, Florida, Appellant, v. William RHODES, Jr., Horace Bell, Delbert Kreul, Michael Blocker, and William Hurd, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1993-09-01
Citations: 624 So. 2d 319
Docket Number: No. 92-3307
Parties: BROWARD COUNTY, Florida, Appellant, v. William RHODES, Jr., Horace Bell, Delbert Kreul, Michael Blocker, and William Hurd, Appellees.
Judges: DELL, C.J., and DOWNEY, JAMES C., Senior Judge, concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 624
Pages: 319–320

Head Matter:
BROWARD COUNTY, Florida, Appellant, v. William RHODES, Jr., Horace Bell, Delbert Kreul, Michael Blocker, and William Hurd, Appellees.
No. 92-3307.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Sept. 1, 1993.
Rehearing, Clarification and Rehearing En Banc Denied Oct. 11, 1993.
H.C. Palmer, III of McDonald & McDonald, Miami, for appellant.
Randall Denker of Lehrman and Denker, Tallahassee, and Walter McLin of McLin, Burnsed, Morrison, Johnson & Robuek, P.A., Leesburg, for appellees.

Opinion:
STONE, Judge.
We reverse a partial summary judgment in an action for inverse condemnation holding the county liable for damages incident to the destruction of Plaintiffs' bees in executing a mosquito control spray program. There is evidence that the mosquito spraying was an emergency measure designed to control an encephalitis crisis.
Appellees correctly assert that inverse condemnation applies to personal property. See State, Dep't of Agric. and Consumer Servs. v. Mid-Florida Growers, Inc., 541 So.2d 1243 (Fla.2d DCA 1989), decision approved, in part, 570 So.2d 892 (Fla.1990); In re: Forfeiture of 1976 Kenworth Tractor Trailer Truck, Altered VIN 2433 40 M, 576 So.2d 261 (Fla.1990). However, we deem these authorities inapposite as each involved a willful seizure or "taking." Here, there is no demonstrated willful taking. Cf. Conner v. Reed Bros., Inc., 567 So.2d 515 (Fla.2d DCA 1990).
On the record before the court, the Plaintiffs' loss, if proved, appears to be accidental. There is no indication that if the county killed the bees, it did so intentionally, or that it even knew of their existence. Unless Plaintiffs can demonstrate that a taking of constitutional dimension has occurred, any recovery would be limited to Plaintiffs' companion claim of negligence. See Rabin v. Lake Worth Drainage Dist., 82 So.2d 353 (Fla.1955), cert. denied, 350 U.S. 958, 76 S.Ct. 348, 100 L.Ed. 833 (1956).
Therefore, the partial summary judgment is reversed and the case remanded for further proceedings.
DELL, C.J., and DOWNEY, JAMES C., Senior Judge, concur.