Court Opinion

ID: 9946752
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-01 14:03:17.865386+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:23:53.352164
License: Public Domain

FIFTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
                STATE OF FLORIDA
                  _____________________________

                       Case No. 5D23-1194
                   LT Case No. 2018-CA-000647
                  _____________________________

RI CS2, LLC,

    Appellants,

    v.

STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION, CIRCLE K
STORES, INC., and RIDGE MANOR
EXPRESS,

    Appellees.
                  _____________________________

On appeal from the Circuit Court for Hernando County.
Donald Scaglione, Judge.

W. Campbell McLean, Kristie Hatcher-Bolin, and Rachel M.
Crews, of Gray Robinson, P.A., Tampa, for Appellants.

Lindsay Patrick Lopez, and Paul D. Bain, of Trenam, Kemker,
Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A., Tampa, for Appellee,
Circle K Stores, Inc.

Marc Peoples, of the Department of Transportation, Tallahassee,
for Appellee, State of Florida Department of Transportation.

No Appearance for Remaining Appellee.

                         March 1, 2024
PER CURIAM.

     Landowner, RI CS2, LLC (“Appellant”), appeals the trial
court’s order granting apportionment of the statutory benefit fee
awardable pursuant to section 73.092(1), Florida Statutes (2021),
with tenant, Circle K Stores, Inc. While Appellant argues that the
statute dictates that this fee is awardable solely to a landowner,
this argument is foreclosed by the express terms of section 7 of the
parties’ Stipulated Final Judgment, which stated that sums
including the statutory benefit fee “are the contested settlement
funds, which funds are subject to apportionment and shall remain
in the Court registry until further Order of the Court.” (emphasis
added.). Thus, the parties having stipulated in the judgment that
the statutory benefit fee in this case is subject to apportionment,
the trial court’s order is affirmed.

    AFFIRMED.

EDWARDS, C.J., MAKAR, and KILBANE, JJ., concur.

                 _____________________________

    Not final until disposition of any timely and
    authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
    9.331.
               _____________________________

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