Pres. Palm Beach Political Action Comm. v. Town of Palm Beach

• Decision Date: 04 February 2011
• Docket Number: No. 4D09-4947.,4D09-4947.
• Citation: 50 So.3d 1176
• Parties: PRESERVE PALM BEACH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE and Patrick Henry Flynn, Appellants, v. TOWN OF PALM BEACH, et al., Appellees.
• Court: Florida District Court of Appeals

50 So.3d 1176

PRESERVE PALM BEACH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE and Patrick Henry Flynn, Appellants,

v.TOWN OF PALM BEACH, et al., Appellees.

No. 4D09-4947.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

Dec. 15, 2010.

Rehearing Denied Feb. 4, 2011.

Robert J. Hauser of Beasley Hauser Kramer Leonard & Galardi, P.A., West Palm Beach, and John M. Jorgensen of Scott, Harris, Bryan, Barra & Jorgensen, P.A., Palm Beach Gardens, for appellants.

John C. Randolph and Joanne M. O'Connor of Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A., West Palm Beach, for appellee Town of Palm Beach.

John W. Little, III, P.A., and Richard J. Dewitt, III, of Brigham Moore, LLP, West Palm Beach, for appellee Sterling Palm Beach, LLC.

POLEN, J.

Appellants, Preserve Palm Beach Political Action Committee and Patrick HenryFlynn (collectively "Preserve"), appeal the trial court's order granting appellee, Town of Palm Beach's, motion for summary judgment and denying appellants' cross-motion for summary judgment.

In the underlying action, the Town filed a Complaint for Expedited Declaratory Relief seeking a determination of the constitutionality of a Charter amendment proposed by Preserve. The proposed amendment, to be voted on by the citizens of the Town in a February 2010 election, would have required that the Town of Palm Beach Charter be amended to incorporate portions of a 1979 Agreement between the Town of Palm Beach and a developer. The incorporated provisions would prohibit the construction of new buildings in Royal Poinciana Plaza and would require that the Poinciana Theater be used only as a theater of the performing arts and/or visual arts or for lectures or other special events.

The complaint pled two counts of declaratory relief. Count I sought a determination of the constitutionality of the proposed amendment based on whether the amendment conflicted with section 163.3167(12), Florida Statutes, by purporting to use the initiative or referendum process to alter a development order. Count II sought a determination of the constitutionality of the proposed amendment based on whether the amendment was clear and unambiguous as required by section 101.161(1), Florida Statutes.

The parties agreed below that there were no genuine issues of material fact. The trial court was simply asked to determine two issues: (1) whether the 1979 Agreement was a development order, and (2) whether the proposed amendment was unconstitutional on its face.

The 1979 Agreement

The 1979 Agreement between the Town and Poinciana Properties, Ltd. (the developer), was executed in order to satisfy a precondition to the Town's granting of a variance to the developer. At a hearing on the developer's motion for variance, the Town Council granted the motion "subject to [execution of] an agreement, in a form satisfactory to the Town Attorney," which would provide for sixteen specific conditions. A town building official subsequently advised the developer that the building permit would only issue after certain procedures had been followed:

After the town has approved said agreement, and after it has been recorded by the applicant, with original copy returned to the Town for the permanent record, and after the Town has received revised plans for approval which reflect the conditions of the agreement, then the Town Building permit to authorize commencement of construction may subsequently be issued.

The resulting Agreement provided, in part:

WHEREAS, Partnership made an application for variance No. 39-78 with respect to the property known as the Royal Poinciana Plaza on Cocoanut Row in the Town of Palm Beach ...; and

WHEREAS, after public notice and a public hearing on the Partnership application, the Town Council of Palm Beach granted said variance No. 39-78 with modifications of the original plan at its meeting on February 13, 1979 subject to the following conditions; and

WHEREAS, Partnership suggested and volunteered some of said conditions and by this agreement does hereby covenant and agree with TOWN that the conditions hereinafter set forth have become binding obligations on the part of Partnership, and upon its successors and assigns.

NOW, THEREFORE, know all men by these present that in consideration of the premises hereinbefore set forth andfor other good and valuable considerations, the parties do hereby agree as follows:

....

2. Subsequent to the completion of construction and during its ownership of the Royal Poinciana Plaza, the Partnership (and during the ownership of any purchaser) agrees to perform as follows:

....

E. It will continue to lease the space now occupied and used by the "Poinciana Theater" only for use as a theater of the performing and/or visual arts and for lectures or other special events.

Proposed Charter Amendment

Prompted by the threat of demolition of the theater, Preserve sponsored the following ballot title, summary, and charter amendment petition in an effort to incorporate portions of the 1979 Agreement into the Town Charter:

BALLOT TITLE: Alterations of covenants of Royal Poinciana Plaza and Royal Poinciana Playhouse only by Referendum.

BALLOT SUMMARY: Voter approval required for alterations to the covenants set forth in the 1979 Royal Poinciana Plaza Agreement between the Town of Palm Beach and the predecessor of Poinciana Properties, Limited, concerning property known as the Royal Poinciana Plaza.

TEXT OF THE PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT

(1) The Town of Palm Beach Charter [s]hall be amended to incorporate portions of the covenants set forth in the 1979 Agreement between the Town of Palm Beach and the predecessor of Poinciana Properties, Limited concerning property known as the Royal Poinciana Plaza; which do not allow the construction of new buildings in Poinciana Plaza, and require that the Poinciana Theater only be used as a theater of the performing arts and/or visual arts or for lectures or other special events.

(2) That a majority of Voters of the Town of Palm Beach voting in a referendum must approve any alterations to the Royal Poinciana Plaza Agreement.

After Preserve collected the required number of signatures, and the Town was told to put the...