Case Name: Gloria Ann BROWN, Appellant, v. WALTON COUNTY, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1995-11-29
Citations: 667 So. 2d 376
Docket Number: No. 94-3233
Parties: Gloria Ann BROWN, Appellant, v. WALTON COUNTY, Appellee.
Judges: BOOTH, JOANOS and BENTON, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 667
Pages: 376–377

Head Matter:
Gloria Ann BROWN, Appellant, v. WALTON COUNTY, Appellee.
No. 94-3233.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Nov. 29, 1995.
James H. Tipler of The Tipler Law Offices, Ft. Walton Beach, for Appellant.
George Ralph Miller, DeFuniak Springs, for Appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Because this is an appeal from an order of the circuit court acting in its appellate capacity, we treat the notice of appeal as a petition for certiorari. See Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.040(c). We have reviewed the record to determine whether the circuit court afforded procedural due process and applied the correct law, i.e., observed the essential requirements of law. See Haines City Community Dev. v. Heggs, 658 So.2d 523 (Fla.1995); Education Dev. Ctr., Inc. v. City of West Palm Beach Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 541 So.2d 106 (Fla.1989).
On the authority of Cherry Communications v. Deason, 652 So.2d 803 (Fla.1995), we have determined that Brown was not afforded procedural due process. At the quasi-judicial proceeding before the County Grievance Committee, the county's counsel both acted as an advocate and "proffer[ed] legal advice during the hearing." Ford v. Bay County School Bd., 246 So.2d 119, 122 (Fla. 1st DCA 1970), cert. denied, 257 So.2d 259 (Fla.1972). Accordingly, we grant the petition for certiorari and quash the circuit court order affirming the decision of the grievance committee.
BOOTH, JOANOS and BENTON, JJ., concur.