Opinion ID: 1821287
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Capital Improvement and Property Control Functions.

Text: As this Court has made clear in prior cases, there is no liability for the failure of a governmental entity to build, expand, or modernize capital improvements such as buildings and roads. See Perez v. Department of Transportation, 435 So.2d 830 (Fla. 1983); City of St. Petersburg v. Collom, 419 So.2d 1082 (Fla. 1982); Ingham v. Department of Transportation, 419 So.2d 1081 (Fla. 1982); Department of Transportation v. Neilson, 419 So.2d 1071 (Fla. 1982). A governmental entity's decision not to build or modernize a particular improvement is a discretionary judgmental function with which we have held the courts cannot interfere. See Neilson (decision to upgrade roadway). See also Rumbough v. City of Tampa, 403 So.2d 1139 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981) (operation of sanitary landfill); Romine v. Metropolitan Dade County, 401 So.2d 882 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981), review denied, 412 So.2d 469 (Fla. 1982) (traffic control decisions). On the other hand, once a governmental entity builds or takes control of property or an improvement, it has the same common law duty as a private person to properly maintain and operate the property. See Commercial Carrier (maintenance of traffic control devices); Department of Transportation v. Webb, 438 So.2d 780 (Fla. 1983) (maintenance of railroad crossing); Hodges v. City of Winter Park, 433 So.2d 1257 (Fla. 5th DCA 1983), review denied, 444 So.2d 416 (Fla. 1984) (maintenance of road); Town of Belleair v. Taylor, 425 So.2d 669 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983) (maintenance of foliage on median); City of Tallahassee v. Elliott, 326 So.2d 256 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975), cert. denied, 344 So.2d 324 (Fla. 1977) (maintenance of drainage system).