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EL SOL TRADING, INC., AND ECO GREEN MACHINE, LLC vs FINISH LINE SCOOTERS, LLC, 09-004102 (2009)

Court: Division of Administrative Hearings, Florida Number: 09-004102 Visitors: 40
Petitioner: EL SOL TRADING, INC., AND ECO GREEN MACHINE, LLC
Respondent: FINISH LINE SCOOTERS, LLC
Judges: WILLIAM F. QUATTLEBAUM
Agency: Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Locations: Tallahassee, Florida
Filed: Jul. 31, 2009
Status: Closed
Recommended Order on Tuesday, March 9, 2010.

Latest Update: May 21, 2010
Summary: The issue in the case is whether an application for a new point franchise motor vehicle dealership filed by El Sol Trading, Inc., and Eco-Green Machine, LLC (Petitioners), should be approved.No evidence was presented that protestor has standing. New dealership application is approved.
STATE OF FLORIDA

STATE OF FLORIDA

DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS


EL SOL TRADING, INC., AND ECO

)




GREEN MACHINE, LLC,

)

)




Petitioners,

)





)




vs.

)

Case

No.

09-4102


)




FINISH LINE SCOOTERS, LLC,

)





)




Respondent.

)




)





RECOMMENDED ORDER


On February 10, 2010, an administrative hearing in this case was conducted in Tallahassee, Florida, before William F. Quattlebaum, Administrative Law Judge, Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH).

APPEARANCES


For Petitioners: (No appearance) For Respondent: (No appearance)

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE


The issue in the case is whether an application for a new point franchise motor vehicle dealership filed by El Sol Trading, Inc., and Eco-Green Machine, LLC (Petitioners), should be approved.

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT


By Notice published in the Florida Administrative Weekly (Volume 35, Number 27; July 10, 2009), the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (Department) gave notice that El Sol Trading, Inc., was seeking to establish a new point franchise motor vehicle dealership for the sale of motorcycles manufactured by Zhejiang Leike Machinery Co. Ltd. (ZLMI) at

Eco-Green Machine, LLC, at 7000 Park Boulevard, Suite A, Pinellas Park, Florida 33781.

Finish Line Scooters, LLC (Respondent), filed a challenge to the establishment of the dealership. By letter dated

July 31, 2009, the Department forwarded the challenge to DOAH. On the same date, DOAH issued an Initial Order, directing the parties to identify the anticipated length of the hearing, dates upon which the parties were available for hearing, and a suggested hearing location. The Initial Order stated that the failure to respond would result in the hearing being scheduled in Tallahassee, Florida. No responses to the Initial Order were filed, and the hearing was scheduled accordingly.

Neither party appeared at the time scheduled for commencement of the hearing. There were no witnesses or exhibits admitted into evidence. No transcript of the hearing was filed. No proposed recommended orders were filed.

FINDINGS OF FACT


  1. There was no evidence presented at the hearing to establish that the Respondent has a franchise agreement to sell or service ZLMI motor vehicles, the line-make to be sold by

    Eco-Green Machine, LLC.


  2. There was no evidence presented at the hearing that the Respondent's dealership is physically located so as to meet the statutory requirements for standing to protest the establishment of the new point franchise motor vehicle dealership.

    CONCLUSIONS OF LAW


  3. The Division of Administrative Hearings has jurisdiction over the parties to and subject matter of this proceeding. §§ 120.569 and 120.57, Fla. Stat. (2009).

  4. Section 320.642, Florida Statutes (2009), provides in relevant part as follows:

    320.642 Dealer licenses in areas previously served; procedure.--


    (1) Any licensee who proposes to establish an additional motor vehicle dealership or permit the relocation of an existing dealer to a location within a community or territory where the same line-make vehicle is presently represented by a franchised motor vehicle dealer or dealers shall give written notice of its intention to the department. . . .


    * * *

    (2)(a) An application for a motor vehicle dealer license in any community or territory shall be denied when:


    1. A timely protest is filed by a presently existing franchised motor vehicle dealer with standing to protest as defined in subsection (3); and


    2. The licensee fails to show that the existing franchised dealer or dealers who register new motor vehicle retail sales or retail leases of the same line-make in the community or territory of the proposed dealership are not providing adequate representation of such line-make motor vehicles in such community or territory. The burden of proof in establishing inadequate representation shall be on the licensee.


    * * *


    (3) An existing franchised motor vehicle dealer or dealers shall have standing to protest a proposed additional or relocated motor vehicle dealer when the existing motor vehicle dealer or dealers have a franchise agreement for the same line-make vehicle to be sold or serviced by the proposed additional or relocated motor vehicle dealer and are physically located so as to meet or satisfy any of the following requirements or conditions:


    * * *


    (b) If the proposed additional or relocated motor vehicle dealer is to be located in a county with a population of more than 300,000 according to the most recent data of the United States Census Bureau or the data of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research of the University of Florida:


    1. Any existing motor vehicle dealer or dealers of the same line-make have a

      licensed franchise location within a radius of 12.5 miles of the location of the proposed additional or relocated motor vehicle dealer; or


    2. Any existing motor vehicle dealer or dealers of the same line-make can establish that during any 12-month period of the 36- month period preceding the filing of the licensee's application for the proposed dealership, such dealer or its predecessor made 25 percent of its retail sales of new motor vehicles to persons whose registered household addresses were located within a radius of 12.5 miles of the location of the proposed additional or relocated motor vehicle dealer; provided such existing dealer is located in the same county or any county contiguous to the county where the additional or relocated dealer is proposed to be located.


  5. The licensees in this case are El Sol Trading, Inc., and Eco-Green Machine, LLC. See §§ 320.60(8) and 320.61, Fla. Stat. (2009).

  6. The Respondent is the alleged existing franchised motor vehicle dealer. The Respondent failed to present any evidence at the hearing to establish that it meets the statutory requirements to establish standing, by location or sales volume, to protest the establishment of the new point franchise motor vehicle dealership at issue in this case.

RECOMMENDATION


Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is RECOMMENDED that the Department enter a final order dismissing the protest filed in this case by Finish Line

Scooters, LLC, and granting the Petitioners' request to establish a new point franchise motor vehicle dealership for the sale of ZLMI motorcycles.

DONE AND ENTERED this 9th day of March, 2010, in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida.

S

WILLIAM F. QUATTLEBAUM

Administrative Law Judge

Division of Administrative Hearings The DeSoto Building

1230 Apalachee Parkway

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3060

(850) 488-9675

Fax Filing (850) 921-6847 www.doah.state.fl.us


Filed with the Clerk of the Division of Administrative Hearings this 9th day of March, 2010.


COPIES FURNISHED:


Patcharee Clark

ECO Green Machine, LLC, d/b/a ECO Green Machine

7000 Park Boulevard, Suite A Pinellas Park, Florida 33781


John V. Leonard

Finish Line Scooters, LLC 6600 Gulf Boulevard

St. Pete Beach, Florida 33706


Jennifer Clark

Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

Neil Kirkman Building, Room A-308 2900 Apalachee Parkway

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0635

Gloria Ma

El Sol Trading, Inc., d/b/a Motobravo, Inc.

19877 Quiroz Court

City of Industry, California 91789


Carl A. Ford, Director Division of Motor Vehicles Department of Highway Safety

and Motor Vehicles

Neil Kirkman Building, Room B-439 2900 Apalachee Parkway

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0500


Robin Lotane, General Counsel Department of Highway Safety

and Motor Vehicles Neil Kirkman Building 2900 Apalachee Parkway

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0500


NOTICE OF RIGHT TO SUBMIT EXCEPTIONS


All parties have the right to submit written exceptions within

15 days from the date of this Recommended Order. Any exceptions to this Recommended Order should be filed with the agency that will issue the Final Order in this case.


Docket for Case No: 09-004102
Issue Date Proceedings
May 21, 2010 Appendix to Final Order Ruling on Exceptions to Recommended Order filed.
May 21, 2010 Agency Final Order filed.
Mar. 18, 2010 Letter to Whom it may Concern from J. Leonard requesting that you not allow a or uphold the rocommended order filed.
Mar. 09, 2010 Recommended Order (hearing held February 10, 2010). CASE CLOSED.
Mar. 09, 2010 Recommended Order cover letter identifying the hearing record referred to the Agency.
Feb. 10, 2010 CASE STATUS: Hearing Held.
Aug. 19, 2009 Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
Aug. 19, 2009 Notice of Hearing (hearing set for February 10, 2010; 9:30 a.m.; Tallahassee, FL).
Jul. 31, 2009 Initial Order.
Jul. 31, 2009 Agency referral filed.
Jul. 31, 2009 Request for Administrative Hearing filed filed.
Jul. 31, 2009 Agency action letter filed.

Orders for Case No: 09-004102
Issue Date Document Summary
May 18, 2010 Agency Final Order
Mar. 09, 2010 Recommended Order No evidence was presented that protestor has standing. New dealership application is approved.
Source:  Florida - Division of Administrative Hearings

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