CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, Etc. v. FLORIDA GAS TRANSMISSION COMPANY, LLC, Etc.
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMay 20, 2020
Docket3D19-0503
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed May 20, 2020.
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No. 3D19-503
Lower Tribunal No. 15-23794
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City of Miami Beach, etc.,
Appellant,
vs.
Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC, etc.,
Appellee.
An Appeal from a non-final order from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade
County, David C. Miller, Judge.
Holland & Knight LLP, and Rodolfo Sorondo, Jr. and Christopher N.
Bellows, for appellant.
Smolker, Bartlett, Loeb, Hinds & Thompson, P.A., and Ethan J. Loeb, Jon P.
Tasso and Latasha L.C. Scott (Tampa); Banker Lopez Gassler PA, and Chris W.
Altenbernd (Tampa), for appellee.
Before LOGUE, LINDSEY and GORDO, JJ.
ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
PER CURIAM.
We treat the motion for rehearing as one for clarification, withdraw our prior
opinion, and issue this one in its stead.
The City of Miami Beach appeals an order granting Florida Gas Transmission
Company, LLC’s motion for partial summary judgment. Because the order is a non-
final, non-appealable order, we dismiss the City’s appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
“At the outset, we note that the order does not constitute an appealable final
order.” Mid–Continent Cas. Co. v. Flora–Tech Plantscapes, Inc., 225 So. 3d 336,
337–38 (Fla. 3d DCA 2017) (citing Ball v. Genesis Outsourcing Sols., LLC, 174 So.
3d 498, 499 (Fla. 3d DCA 2015); Lidsky Vaccaro & Montes, P.A., v. Morejon, 813
So. 2d 146, 149 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002)). The City agrees but argues that the order is
appealable either as one granting immediate possession of property or because it is,
in effect, an injunction. See Fla. R. App. P. 9.130(a)(3)(B), (a)(3)(C)(ii).
We find the order under review does not grant immediate possession of
property. It confirms Florida Gas can maintain its pipeline—a pipeline that has been
in place since 1959. In fact, no one disputes Appellee’s right to have its gas pipes
in the right of way, but only whether that right is pursuant to easement, permit,
franchise, or some combination thereof. Moreover, the trial court’s order does not
function as an injunction because it does not specifically mandate or prohibit any
City action. Cf. Mid–Continent Cas., 225 So. 3d at 339–40 (holding that an order
declaring that the insurer had a contractual duty to defend did not operate as an
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injunction conferring jurisdiction under Rule 9.130(a)(3)(B) because the court did
not compel the insurer to defend). The order does not define the parameters of the
“easement” that it purports to recognize, and, indeed reserves that determination for
a later proceeding. Accordingly, we find the order does not rise to the level either
of a grant of immediate possession of property or of an injunction prohibiting the
City from undertaking construction in its rights-of-way. In doing so, we express no
opinion whether Florida Gas’s pipes are in the right of way pursuant to easement,
permit, franchise, or some combination thereof. For this reason, we decline to
exercise jurisdiction under Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.130.
Dismissed.
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