Filed: Jul. 14, 2014
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA FIFTH DISTRICT RLI LIVE OAK, LLC, Appellant, v. Case No. 5D11-2329 SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, Appellee. _/ Opinion filed July 18, 2014. Appeal from the Circuit Court for Osceola County, Margaret T. Waller, Judge. Kenneth G. Oertel and M. Christopher Bryant of Oertel, Fernandez, Bryant & Atkinson, P.A., Tallahassee, for Appellant. Jack Chisolm, Deputy General Counsel, And Teresa L. Mussetto, Chief Appellate Counsel, Florida Dep
Summary: IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA FIFTH DISTRICT RLI LIVE OAK, LLC, Appellant, v. Case No. 5D11-2329 SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, Appellee. _/ Opinion filed July 18, 2014. Appeal from the Circuit Court for Osceola County, Margaret T. Waller, Judge. Kenneth G. Oertel and M. Christopher Bryant of Oertel, Fernandez, Bryant & Atkinson, P.A., Tallahassee, for Appellant. Jack Chisolm, Deputy General Counsel, And Teresa L. Mussetto, Chief Appellate Counsel, Florida Depa..
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IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
FIFTH DISTRICT
RLI LIVE OAK, LLC,
Appellant,
v. Case No. 5D11-2329
SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT
DISTRICT,
Appellee.
____________________________________/
Opinion filed July 18, 2014.
Appeal from the Circuit Court
for Osceola County,
Margaret T. Waller, Judge.
Kenneth G. Oertel and M. Christopher
Bryant of Oertel, Fernandez, Bryant &
Atkinson, P.A., Tallahassee, for Appellant.
Jack Chisolm, Deputy General Counsel,
And Teresa L. Mussetto, Chief Appellate
Counsel, Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, Tallahassee,
Amicus Curiae, for Florida Department of
Environmental Protection.
Carolyn S. Ansay, General Counsel, Ruth A.
Holmes and Alison L. Kelly, West Palm
Beach, for Appellee.
ON CERTIFIED QUESTION TO THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT
PER CURIAM.
We consider this case on remand from the Florida Supreme Court after it
reversed our decision in RLI Live Oak, LLC v. South Florida Water Management
District,
99 So. 3d 560 (Fla. 5th DCA 2012). S. Fla. Water Mgmt. Dist. v. RLI Live Oak,
LLC, 39 Fla. L. Weekly S345 (Fla. May 22, 2014) (holding that when "the Legislature
statutorily authorizes a state governmental agency to recover a 'civil penalty' in a 'court
of competent jurisdiction' but does not specify the agency's burden of proof, the agency
is not required under [Dep’t of Banking & Fin. Div. of Sec. & Investor Prot. v. Osborne
Stern & Co.,
670 So. 2d 932, 935 (Fla. 1996)], to prove the alleged violation by clear
and convincing evidence, but rather by a preponderance of the evidence"). Because
the trial court correctly applied the preponderance of the evidence standard, we now
affirm the trial court's judgment imposing civil penalties.
AFFIRMED.
PALMER, LAWSON, and WALLIS, JJ., concur.