STATE OF FLORIDA

DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS

TONY'S FISH MARKET OF FT. ) LAUDERDALE, Inc. t/a TONY'S ) FISH MARKET RESTAURANT, )

)

Petitioner, )

)

vs. ) CASE NO. 76-2221

)

STATE OF FLORIDA, )

DIVISION OF BEVERAGE, )

)

Respondent. )

)

RECOMMENDED ORDER

Pursuant to notice a hearing was held before Charles C. Adams, a Hearing Officer with the Division of Administrative Hearings, at 1:00 P.M. on the 26th day of January, 1977, at 7880 N.W. 36th Street, Miami ,Florida.

APPEARANCES

For Petitioner: Tobias Simon, Esquire

Co-counsel for the Petitioner

1492 South Miami Avenue, Suite 208

Miami, Florida 33130

Sy Chadroff, Esquire

Co-counsel for the Petitioner

120 Biscayne Boulevard North, Suite 2806 Miami, Florida 33132

For Respondent: William Hatch, Esquire

Division of Beverage The Johns Building 725 Bronough Street

Tallahassee, Florida 32304 ISSUE

Whether or not the State of Florida, Division of Beverage should approve the change of stock ownership in the licensee corporation, Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, Inc. t/a Tony's Fish Market Restaurant from Armand Cerami to Pamela Cerami, husband and wife, respectively; and further whether or not the State of Florida, Division of Beverage, should approve the resignation of Armand Cerami as Secretary-treasurer of the licensee corporation, Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, Inc. t/a Tony's Fish Market Restaurant, and the substitution of Pamela Cerami as the Secretary-treasurer of that corporation.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. At present Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, Inc. t/a Tony's Fish Market Restaurant is the holder of license no. 16-1320-SRX, series 4-COP held with the State of Florida, Division of Beverage.

   
   

2. Prior to September 1, 1974, Armand Cerami owned 50 shares of stock in Tony's Fish Market, Inc., which represented a 50 percent interest in that corporation. In addition, Armand Cerami held 50 shares of stock in Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, Inc., representing a 50 percent interest in that corporation and was the holder of 50 shares of Tony's Sweet Enterprises, Inc., which represented a 50 percent interest in that corporation. During the time period of September 1, 1974, Armand Cerami had been charged with violation of the Internal Revenue Laws of the United States, under a federal indictment no. 74-407-CR-JE, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. This charge was placed against Cerami for Internal Revenue Law Violations which allegedly took place on tax returns on the tax year ,1968.

   
   

3. In contemplation of a plea of guilty which Cerami intended to enter in the above cited case, he entered into a contract for purchase and sale of the corporate securities in the aforementioned corporations. Petitioner's Exhibit 2, admitted into evidence is a copy of the contract for purchase and sale of corporate securities, which was entered into between Armand Cerami and Pamela Ann Cerami, his wife, on September 1, 1974. The terms of the contract were that Pamela Ann Cerami would pay Armand Cerami $20,000 cash and would give to Armand Cerami a promissory note payable in the amount of $200,000, in ten equal installments of principal and interest at 6-1/2 percent payable on the anniversary date of the contract. On September 20, 1974, the Board of Directors of the three subject corporations accepted the resignation of Armand Cerami as the Secretary-Treasurer of those corporations, and elected Pamela Cerami as Secretary-Treasurer in Armand Cerami's stead. Those Board of Directors were Tony Sweet, Frank Sweet and Armand Cerami.

   
   

4. Armand Cerami returned to federal court on October 18, 1974, and entered a plea of guilty to counts one and five of the aforementioned, indictment, for which he was sentenced to three year on each count to run concurrently, but was given a split sentence of 6 months time in confinement, thereafter to be placed on a probationary period for 2-1/2 years. A copy of the judgement and commitment is Petitioner's Exhibit number 1, admitted into evidence. They are felony offenses.

   
   

5. Subsequent to his release from prison, Armand Cerami served as a co- manager and host of the licensed premises, Tony's Fish Market, located at 1900

   N. Bay Causeway, North Bay Village, Florida, license no. 23-1624-SRX, series 4- COP and in the same capacity at Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, located at 1819 S.E. 17th Street, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, license no. 16-1320-SRX, series 4-COP. He remained in this capacity until September 30, 1976, when a change in 562.13(3)(a), F.S. prohibited convicted felons from being managers of the licensed premises, licensed by the State of Florida, Division of Beverage. The change in the law took effect on October 1, 1976. At that point two separate individuals were hired as managers of the subject licensed premises. Armand Cerami remained in the position as host of those licensed premises, up to and including the date of the hearing. Although this title and this position was held by Armand Cerami, on December 16, 1976, while conducting a routine visit, beverage officer, William Valentine was told by Frank Sweet, a Director in the subject corporations, that Frank Sweet was in charge of the kitchen of the Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale and that Armand Cerami was the real

   manager, ran the restaurant and was responsible for hiring and firing of employees. Pamela Ann Cerami was not shown to have any active interest in the management of the licensed premises.

   
   

6. Pamela Ann Cerami as the Secretary-Treasurer in the three corporations which she purchased shares in, does not draw a salary from the operation of the two restaurants. Her background and financial involvement in the licensed premises, can be traced to certain trusts in her name and a certain gift from her husband, Armand Cerami. The joint composite exhibit number 1, admitted into evidence in the hearing, shows that Pamela Ann Cerami, at one time Pamela Crumly, was a beneficiary of the estates of Gail Crumly and Mildred Crumly, her grandparents. Certain distributions of money were made to Pamela Ann Cerami from those estates. On April 3, 1970, she received $6,093.94; on July 3, 1970, she received $121.88; on October 5, 1970, she received $182.82; and on December 31, 1970, she received $925.65,, which represented a partial distribution of her 1/2 interest in the Gail Crumly estate. As of April 1, 1970, she had been given

   $5,292.59 as a portion of the 1/3 distribution of her share in the estate of Mildred Crumly. The total value of her share in that estate being $16,157.02, and the conditions of her rights to the estate being set forth in the will of Mildred Crumly which is found in the joint composite exhibit number 1. Pamela Ann Cerami had worked as an airline stewardess prior to her marriage to Armand Cerami and had certain funds from her employment in that capacity. Other funds of the marriage include a certificate of deposit in the Bank of Nova Scotia in Nassau, Bahamas in the amount of $18,000., at 8-1/4 percent interest, as deposited May 20, 1970 with a maturity of November 20, 1970. This certificate of deposit was in the name of Armand D. Cerami and/or Pamela Crumly now Pamela Ann Cerami. The interest received on that certificate of deposit was redeposited along with the principal and a second certificate of deposit was purchased on May 23, 1974 in the amount of $23,480.74, to become mature on November 25, 1974. This certificate was withdrawn on October 18, 1974 and the receipt of 10-1/4 percent interest was paid. The amount of interest thereby being $975.89. Copies of the above mentioned certificates of deposit may be found as part of the joint composite exhibit number 1 admitted into evidence.

   
   

7. Continuing an examination of the financial circumstances of Pamela Cerami and Armand Cerami, there is found a warranty deed from Willard H. Keland to Pamela Ann Cerami for certain real estate in Dade County, Florida, for which Pamela Ann Cerami paid Willard H. Keland the amount of $158,000. This deed is found as Petitioner's exhibit number 4 admitted into evidence and was recorded on January 11, 1974. On that same date a closing was held on the property. Petitioner's Exhibit number 5, admitted into evidence is a copy of the closing statement. Conditions of the closing was a cash deposit in the amount of

   $15,800 and $69,251.64 to close. A first mortgage in the amount of $67,500 and interest of $1,028.75 was given to the Miami Beach First National Bank. The

   $158,000 paid for this estate corresponds to a gift which was given by Armand Cerami to Pamela Ann Cerami in the amount of $158,000 as shown in the gift tax return, a copy of which is Petitioner's exhibit number 6, admitted into evidence. The effective date of the gift is established in the gift tax return as February, 1974.

   
   

8. The federal income tax return filed by Armand Cerami for the year 1974, shows the sale of the stock of the three corporations. That income tax return would further show the $20,000 installment sale payment, a portion of which was treated as income to Armand Cerami. Finally, that return shows $13,000 of interest which was treated as income to Armand Cerami. On October 1, 1975, Pamela Anne Cerami gave a first mortgage on the property that she had paid

   $158,000 for this mortgage being given to Bob Erra, as trustee. A copy of the

   mortgage deed is found as Petitioner's Exhibit number 9, admitted into evidence. The amount of the mortgage was $40,000 and the proceeds of the mortgage amount were distributed as $7,000 to Pamela Cerami and $33,000 to Armand Cerami. These distributions were placed as time certificates of deposit with the Pan American Bank of West Dade, copies of which are found as Petitioner's composite exhibit number 8. The amount of interest returnable on the time certificate of deposit held by Armand Cerami is shown in his 1975 federal income tax return.

   
   

9. Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, Inc. t/a Tony's Fish Market Restaurant made application with the State of Florida, Division of Beverage, to change Armand Cerami as Secretary-Treasurer of Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, Inc. and substitute Pamela Cerami as Secretary-Treasurer of that corporation and to transfer the stock ownership in the licensee corporation from Armand Cerami to Pamela Cerami. This change of officer and transfer of stock ownership involves the license no. 16-1320-SRX, series 4-COP. This application was denied by letter of April 9, 1975, from the Director of the Division of Beverage. In fact, Armand Cerami had been convicted of a felony, and is interested in an indirect way in the licensed premises.

   
   

   CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

   
   

10. The Division of Administrative Hearings has jurisdiction in this cause.

    
    

11. Armand Cerami was convicted of a felony under the laws of the United States, within five years of the time that the application for change of officer and transfer of stock ownership were made. Armand Cerami is a person interested with the applicants in an indirect way in the licensed premises and is not qualified for a license with the State of Florida, Division of Beverage. Therefore, in view of the facts as established in this cause, and the qualifications set forth in 561.15 and 561.17, F.S., the applications for change of officer and transfer of stock ownership as they pertain to the premises licensed under the beverage laws of this state, should be denied.

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the applications to change the officer and transfer the stock ownership in license no. 16-1320-SRX, series 4-COP, set forth in this hearing be denied

DONE AND ENTERED this 24th day of February, 1977, in Tallahassee, Florida.

CHARLES C. ADAMS

Hearing Officer

Division of Administrative Hearings

530 Carlton Building Tallahassee, Florida 32304 (904) 488-9675

COPIES FURNISHED:

William Hatch, Esquire Division of Beverage The Johns Building

Tallahassee, Florida 32304

Tobias Simon, Esquire 1492 S. Miami Avenue Suite 208

Miami, Florida 33130

Sy Chadroff, Esquire Suite 2806

120 Biscayne Boulevard North Miami, Florida 33132

Docket for Case No: 76-002221

Orders for Case No: 76-002221