Opinion ID: 1882290
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: G.B.V. International (G.B.V.) owns thirty acres of undeveloped land in the City of Coconut Creek (City) within Broward County (County) on which it seeks to build 300 garden-style apartments in an area termed Sawgrass Exchange. G.B.V. sought to amend the Broward County Land Use Plan (BCLUP) to change the designation of this parcel from Industrial to Residential, and to allow a density of ten dwelling units per acre. The Broward County Planning Council (Planning Council) reviewed the proposed amendment and recommended approval of the change in designation but at a density of only five units per acre. The Broward County Commission (Commission) at a meeting on December 12, 1995, voted to tentatively transmit the amendment as proposed, i.e., at ten units per acre, to the Florida Department of Community Affairs (Department) to see if the amendment would pass state muster. After the Department indicated that the amendment would pass, the Planning Council reviewed the amendment anew and again recommended adoption at a density of five units per acre. The Commission at a meeting on May 1, 1996, discussed the matter at length with G.B.V. and ultimately adopted the amendment at a compromise density of six units per acre. G.B.V. several months later sought approval of a perimeter plat for the Sawgrass Exchange development at a density of ten units per acre. At the Commission meeting on November 12, 1996, G.B.V. explained that it recently had obtained approval from the City to use flex units to make up the additional four units per acre that it had been denied earlier. [1] G.B.V. pointed out that due to its use of City flex units the following now obtained: (1) Its plat comported with the BCLUP; (2) no further amendment to the BCLUP was required; (3) the plat met all the objective requirements for approval; and (4) the County staff had recommended approval. The Commission by oral vote following general discussion approved the plat application but at a density of six units per acre rather than the requested ten. G.B.V. sought certiorari in the circuit court, arguing that the Commission should have approved the plat at ten units per acre. The court denied the petition, ruling inter alia that G.B.V. was estopped from bringing its claim because G.B.V. had misrepresented its position on flex in the proceedings before the Commission. [2] G.B.V. then sought certiorari in the district court. The court granted certiorari, quashed the circuit court order, addressed the underlying plat controversy, and remanded for entry of an order approving the plat at ten units per acre. [3] We granted review based on conflict with numerous decisions of this Court holding that a district court's role on second-tier certiorari review is limited to the two-step assessment set forth in City of Deerfield Beach v. Vaillant, 419 So.2d 624 (Fla.1982). Broward County contends that the district court exceeded the scope of its authority on certiorari review. G.B.V. concedes that conflict exists but contends that the district court ruled properly.