State ex rel. Finch v. Bird

• Decision Date: 26 June 1953
• Citation: 66 So.2d 223
• Parties: STATE ex rel. FINCH et al. v. BIRD, Circuit Judge et al.
• Court: Florida Supreme Court

Page 223

66 So.2d 223

STATE ex rel. FINCH et al. v. BIRD, Circuit Judge et al.

Supreme Court of Florida, en Banc.

June 26, 1953.

Alex D. Finch, Lloyd Mosley and J. C. Davant, Clearwater, for relators.

I. Ben Krentzman, Jr., Clearwater, for respondents.

PER CURIAM.

In the light of all the pleadings in the case the relators have failed to make a showing entitling them to the issuance of a writ of prohibition against the respondent circuit judge. Therefore the writ should be denied and the cause dismissed at the cost of the relators.

It is so ordered.

ROBERTS, C. J., and TERRELL, THOMAS, SEBRING, HOBSON and MATHEWS, JJ., concur.

DREW, J., dissents.

DREW, Justice (dissenting).

Mandamus proceedings were instituted in the lower court by The State of Florida ex rel. Ouida Bilbry against the members of the Civil Service Board, the City Manager and City Treasurer of Clearwater.

Ouida Bilbry alleged that she was an unclassified employee employed by the city (but not from the certified list, as required by Chapter 21153, Acts of 1941, as amended) on October 5, 1950; that she did not take a written Civil Service examination, as required by Chapter 21153, supra, until June 15, 1951, and that she failed to pass such examination, but shortly thereafter the same was ruled invalid by the City Attorney. She continued in her employment and took another examination on December 23, 1951. After failing to pass said second examination she charged that it was also invalid because the test violated Section 9 of Chapter 21153, supra, which provides:

'All tests shall be practical and shall consist only of subjects which will fairly determine the capacity of the persons examined to perform the duties of the position to which appointment is to be made, and may include tests of physical fitness or of manual skill. * * *'

She then alleged that although she had failed to pass the examination she continued her employment until February 1, 1952 when she received notice of termination thereof as of February 4th, on the sole ground that she had failed to pass the examination December 23, 1951.

Under the Act, Chapter 21153, supra, the Civil Service of Clearwater was divided into two classes--classified and unclassified. The unclassified service is defined as elected officials, members of a board or commission, city manager, municipal judge, city attorneys, attorneys employed by the city and highly technical persons (there is no contention that Ouida Bilbry is of this class). All other employees are in the classified service. The Act further provides that all employees of the classified service who had been a their jobs for more than one year prior to the effective date of the Act (Ouida Bilbry was not one of these) would be retained without examination. Future employees were required to be selected from a certified list of persons successfully passing an examination.

Ouida Bilbry appealed to the Civil Service Board, as provided in the Act, but the appeal was denied and such action is alleged to be an 'arbitrary, willful' violation of the Act. She then alleges that she has been 'illegally deprived of her right to work and position' and concludes with the following prayer:

'Wherefore, your petitioner respectfully petitions this Honorable Court for a Writ of Mandamus to be directed to the respondent F. C. Middleton, as City Manager of the City of Clearwater, Florida, commanding him to cancel and rescind his order terminating the employment of petitioner and directing him to restore her to her former position as disbursing clerk with the City of Clearwater and further directing said F. C. Middleton, as City Manager, and said Frank Abernathy, as City Treasurer, of the City of Clearwater, to do all matters and things necessary to accomplish payment to your petitioner of the compensation for her position for all dates subsequent to February 15, 1952, or for said F. C. Middleton as City Manager, said Frank Abernathy as City Treasurer, and/or said Harry D. Sargeant, Glenn Allen, Newton Barlow, Henry George and Reade Tilley, as members of the Civil Service Board to show cause before this Court on a day set and as soon as the Court may order it why said F. C. Middleton and said Frank Abernathy refused so to do and that upon further hearing herein that a Peremptory Writ be issued to said respondents F. C. Middleton and Frank Abernathy requiring them to restore petitioner to her employment and compensate her as prayed herein.'

The alternative writ issued, directed to the above named City Manager and City Treasurer commanding them:

'* * * to forthwith restore said Ouida Bilbry to her former position as disbursing clerk with the City of Clearwater, Florida, at a monthly salary of $195.00 per month, and you, F. C. Middleton, as City Manager, and Frank Abernathy, as City Treasurer of said city, to pay said Ouida Bilbry all sums due her in connection with her said employment from February 15, 1952 down to and including the date of her restoration to said employment, or in default thereof, that you and all of said respondents appear before this Court on the 9th day of May, 1952, at the hour of 1:30 P.M. o'clock, in Chambers in the County Court House at Clearwater, Florida, and then and there show cause why you refused so to do.'

After the motion to quash the writ was overruled the City officials filed their return setting forth that Ouida Bilbry was not selected from a certified list as required by the Act in the beginning but that even so she had failed to pass two examinations, both of which were properly conducted. They further denied that the provisions for discharge of a classified employee applied to her at all because she had failed in the beginning to comply with said Act by taking an examination.

On these issues testimony was taken, whereupon on July 2, 1952 the lower court entered the following order:

'(a) That on or about October 5, 1950, the Petitioner was employed by respondent City Manager upon the recommendation of the respondent City Treasurer as a disbursing clerk in the office of the Treasurer of the City of Clearwater, Florida; that prior to her said employment Petitioner was not given an examination or otherwise qualified under the Civil Service Act of the City of Clearwater, Florida, although she did complete an application blank with the then Director of Civil Service.

'(b) That at that time, and for a considerable period thereafter, there was considerable confusion relative to and various interpretations of the Civil Service ...