Court Opinion

ID: 9926316
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-24 16:04:45.782149+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:37.466958
License: Public Domain

DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
                             FOURTH DISTRICT

     PIERRE WOODLAND MEADOWS, LLC, d/b/a THE OSPREY,
                       Appellant,

                                    v.

        KAC 2021-1 LLC, as assignee to IREGENA PERCENTIE,
                             Appellee.

                            No. 4D2023-1712

                           [January 24, 2024]

   Appeal of a nonfinal order from the County Court for the Fifteenth
Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County; Sara Alijewicz, Judge; L.T. Case No.
50-2023-SC-006092-XXXX-WB.

  Joshua R. Kon and Samuel Sachs of Stok Kon + Braverman, Fort
Lauderdale, for appellant.

  Brian Keith Korte of Korte & Associates, LLC, Singer Island, for
appellee.

PER CURIAM.

   We reverse the order denying the appellant landlord’s motion to transfer
venue.

   Appellee, as the tenant’s assignee, filed this action for return of the
security deposit in Palm Beach County, where Appellee has its office. The
landlord has established that the proper venue is in Broward County,
where the cause of action accrued, where the apartment at issue is located,
where the lease contract was entered, and where the lease required service
of notices and payments. § 47.011, Fla. Stat. (2022); see also Fla. Sm. Cl.
R. 7.060(a).

   Appellee’s argument, that its filing of a notice of change of address in
the separate Broward County eviction case sufficed to change the location
for mailing a notice of claim against the security deposit, has no merit.
The notice of address change was never served on the landlord at the
address required by the lease. After the notice was filed, the tenant acted
pro se and settled with the landlord. The tenant then breached her
settlement, resulting in a withdrawal of all defenses and an eviction
judgment. Upon vacating the premises, the tenant failed to properly notify
the landlord of her new forwarding address as required by the lease and
section 83.49(5), Florida Statutes (2022). The landlord properly served its
notice of claim against the security deposit at the tenant’s “last known
mailing address.” § 83.49(3)(a), Fla. Stat. (2022).

   We affirm as to Appellee’s other arguments without further discussion
and remand with directions to grant the motion and transfer this matter
to Broward County.

   Reversed and remanded.

KLINGENSMITH, C.J., CONNER and KUNTZ, JJ., concur.

                           *         *        *

   Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

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