Case Name: Diane SMITH, etc., Appellant, v. Robert Gerald MOUGHAN, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1983-12-08
Citations: 442 So. 2d 338
Docket Number: No. 82-1641
Parties: Diane SMITH, etc., Appellant, v. Robert Gerald MOUGHAN, Appellee.
Judges: DAUKSCH, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 442
Pages: 338–343

Head Matter:
Diane SMITH, etc., Appellant, v. Robert Gerald MOUGHAN, Appellee.
No. 82-1641.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
Dec. 8, 1983.
W.J. Heffernan, Jr., of Heffernan & Ra-binowitz, P.A., Altamonte Springs, for appellant.
Gregory M. Wilson of Taylor & Wilson, Orlando, for appellee.

Opinion:
FRANK D. UPCHURCH, Jr., Judge.
Appellant Diane Smith seeks review of an order denying her request to partition property which she and her former husband, appellee Robert Moughan, owned as tenants in common since the dissolution of their marriage in 1977. Prior to trial in this matter, counsel for both parties filed a joint stipulation of facts to simplify and streamline the issues to be heard by the court. After noting that he was familiar with the issues in the case and after hearing argument, the court concluded that appellant was not entitled to partition because she had waived this right by agreement.
At the time of the dissolution, appellee was not represented by counsel. However, he had attended several settlement conferences at the offices of appellant's attorney. Apparently appellant at that time had no desire to retain any interest in the marital home because it was only at her husband's insistence that she retained her right to one-half of the net proceeds upon the sale of the house.
No children were born of the marriage and both parties have since remarried. Upon remarriage, appellee continued to reside in the home with his new wife and child. He has made all mortgage payments and has made additional improvements.
The court below ruled that appellant was bound by the property settlement agreement which she executed and which was later incorporated into the final judgment of dissolution. Paragraph three of the agreement provides as follows:
Real Property Owned by the Parties as Tenants by the Entirety. The parties are owners by the entirety of certain real property, described as follows:
Lot 15, Block E, Sun Haven 1st Addition, as recorded in Plat Book X, Page 110, Public Records of Orange County, Florida.
The Husband shall continue to have the right to occupy the home and the Husband shall assume and make all mortgage payments upon the same. The Husband and Wife hereby mutually agree to place the property for sale in the event the Husband decides not to occupy the home, upon terms mutually agreeable to each. The Husband shall make all necessary repairs and keep the property maintained until the property is sold. Upon the sale of the home, the net proceeds shall be divided between the parties equally after deducting the normal expenses of sale.
The fairness of the agreement was not challenged below. As part of the agreement, appellant received certain personal property including the household furnishings. The extent and value of these items are not a part of the record. As a consequence, neither the trial court nor this court has any basis in the record for concluding that appellant was inequitably treated in the dissolution settlement.
We note that appellant could have transferred her entire interest in the home to her husband had she been so inclined. Therefore, it follows that she could, by agreement, transfer something less than her entire interest. Regarding agreements to waive partition, the Florida Supreme Court has specifically held as follows:
[Tjhere is no doubt that the law favors the right to partition. And the general rule is that partition is a matter of right.
But there are exceptions to the rule. The right to partition may be waived, or one may be estopped to enforce the right by an agreement not to partition either express or implied.
⅜ % *
An agreement never to partition lands or one which unduly or unreasonably restricts partition is generally held to be unenforceable as an unreasonable restraint on the use and enjoyment of property, and therefore contrary to public policy.

However, under our system of government, our guarantees of right to contract and rights of ownership and use of property, there appears to us to be no valid reason why the owners of undivided interests in property cannot contract not to partition land, except where the prohibition of partition is for an unreasonable and/or indefinite period of time, or is otherwise so unreasonably restrictive as to be contrary to public policy.
We must therefore hold that while partition is a matter of right to those holding undivided interests in lands, such right may be waived or the holder thereof es-topped to assert the right by an express or implied agreement, otherwise enforceable, providing said agreement not to partition be for a reasonable and definite period of time and not otherwise unduly restrictive. An agreement not to partition during the life of any of the tenants does not appear to us to be for an unreasonable time, (emphasis added; citations omitted)
Condrey v. Condrey, 92 So.2d 423, 426 (Fla.1957).
Ordinarily exclusive possession of the marital home is awarded by the court as a facet of support and will terminate upon remarriage of the spouse in possession. See Anderson v. Anderson, 424 So.2d 943 (Fla. 5th DCA 1983); Harvey v. Harvey, 411 So.2d 324 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982); Caldwell v. Caldwell, 400 So.2d 1270 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981). However, there is nothing to prevent a party from agreeing to a particular arrangement as the appellant did here.
AFFIRMED.
DAUKSCH, J., concurs.
SHARP, J., dissents with opinion.
. There was no objection by counsel for either party as to the length of time allotted for trial. Appellant does not even suggest in her brief that she did not receive a fair hearing. The only suggestion that there was not a fair hearing is found in the dissent.
. In her dissent, Judge Sharp observes that denying appellant the right to partition effectively deprives her of her one-half interest in the property because her net share will be reduced by the value of improvements, etc. We do not think the agreement supports that conclusion because the agreement provides only for deducting the normal expenses of sale.