Trustees of Internal Imp. Fund v. Bass

Decision Date06 October 1953
Citation67 So.2d 433
PartiesTRUSTEES OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT FUND v. BASS.
CourtFlorida Supreme Court

Richard W. Ervin, Atty. Gen., Fred M. Burns, Asst. Atty. Gen., and John D. Moriarty, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellant.

Frank E. Bryant, Miami, for appellee.

TERRELL, Justice.

This is a suit in ejectment by the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund to recover possession of the Southeast quarter of the Southeast quarter of Section 34, Township 33, South, Range 29 East, located in Highlands County, Florida. A motion to dismiss the complaint was granted and the plaintiff appealed.

It is admitted that the lands in question were granted to the State under the Swamp Land Grant Act of 1850, 9 Stat. 519, and that they have not been sold by the state, but that in 1907, the Tax Assessor of Desoto County placed them on the tax rolls for taxes of that year, that they were sold for delinquent taxes in 1908, and that they were purchased by one Wiley Saules pursuant to the Murphy Act, Chapter 18296, Acts of 1937, F.S.A. § 192.35 et seq. The present owner, Roscoe Bass, purchased them from Saules in 1941, is now in possession of them, has placed a fence around them, has improved them in other respects and has paid the taxes each year since he purchased them.

In its inception the tax assessment was not authorized by law and had it been moved against promptly might have been set aside, but the present owner has been in possession more than eleven years under a deed issued by the State. Under such a state of facts, even if his title is not good by adverse possession, the State is estopped to question it. Daniell v. Sherrill, Fla., 48 So.2d 736, 23 A.L.R.2d 1410.

The judgment appealed from is affirmed on authority of the last cited case.

Affirmed.

ROBERTS, C. J., and SEBRING and MATHEWS, JJ., concur.

To continue reading

Request your trial
18 cases
  • State ex rel. Atty. Gen. v. Ward
    • United States
    • Alabama Supreme Court
    • September 28, 1961
    ...or its subdivisions, depending upon the particular facts and circumstances of each case, are as follows: Trustees of Internal Improvement Fund v. Bass, Fla., 67 So.2d 433--434; Florida Livestock Board v. Gladden, Fla., 76 So.2d 291, 293; United States v. County of Lawrence, D.C.Pa., 173 F.S......
  • Askew v. Sonson
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • July 23, 1981
    ...in a suit to quiet the title to land as against parties claiming under tax deeds issued by the state. In Trustees of Internal Improvement Fund v. Bass, 67 So.2d 433 (Fla.1953), swamp and overflow lands were erroneously placed on the tax rolls. The lands were sold for delinquent taxes in 190......
  • State, Dept. of Natural Resources v. Contemporary Land Sales, Inc.
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • May 20, 1981
    ...title against appellee. See Trustees of Internal Improvement Fund v. Claughton, 86 So.2d 775 (Fla.1956); Trustees of Internal Improvement Fund v. Bass, 67 So.2d 433 (Fla.1953); Daniell v. Sherrill, 48 So.2d 736 (Fla.1950). Nor do we consider appellee's argument that because the State, actin......
  • Trustees of Internal Imp. Fund v. Lobean
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • January 18, 1961
    ...v. Sherrill, supra; Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund v. Claughton, Fla.1956, 86 So.2d 775; and Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund v. Bass, Fla.1953, 67 So.2d 433. It is true that there are parallel factual complexes in the case at bar and in Adams v. Crews, supra, but there ......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT