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63 So. 2d 629

Peters v. Bower

Supreme Court of Florida

Decided February 27, 1953

Supreme Court of Florida · decided 1953-02-27

Relies on Ready v. Safeway Rock Company · Scott v. S. H. Kress & Co.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1953-02-27

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently January 1989

2 state decisions

101953196019701980decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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TERRELL, Justice.

¶1So far as pertinent the amended complaint initiating this case alleges that Herman Bower, the owner of certain real estate •southwest of Miami, known as Sunkist Estates Subdivision, presented a plat of said lands to the Board of County Commissioners of Dade County. In affidavit Bower proposed to the County Commissioners that if they would approve the plat he would grade, rock and pave the ■streets indicated thereon and oil them when ■.the government will permit. The complaint filed by co-appellants who are purchasers of lots in the subdivision prayed that Herman Bower be compelled to comply with said contract. The complaint was dismissed and this appeal was prosecuted.

¶2The real point on which the controversy turns is whether or not the complaint states facts sufficient to show a contract or to activate the statute for declaratory decree.

¶3The answer to this question depends on the interpretation of the second paragraph of the affidavit submitted with the request to approve the plat, as follows:

“A plat entitled, “Sunkist Estates” is being presented to the Board of County Commissioners for approval. I am connected with the persons offering said plat in the following capacity: Owner. It is the intention of the said subdivider to grade all the streets shown on said plat and rock and pave them in accordance with Dade County Specifications and to have the work completed on or before Tzvo years after date. It is also the intention of said subdividers to have the following additional work done within said subdivision, on or before the time above stated, viz.:

¶4The quoted provision states nothing more than an “intention” on the part of Herman Bower to grade the streets shown on the plat and rock and pave them in accordance with the Dade County specification “on or before two years after date.” There are other provisions of the affidavit that contribute to the “intention” but considered in toto we do not think it amounted to an enforceable contract. The elements of such a contract were not present and it was not sufficient to activate the Declaratory Judgments Act. Scott v. S. H. Kress & Co., Tex.Civ.App., 191 S.W. 714; Ready v. Safeway Rock Co., 157 Fla. 27, 24 So. 2d 808.

¶5The decree appealed from is therefore affirmed.

¶6Affirmed.

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