237 So. 2d 263 | Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | 1970
Isiah White by petition for writ of certiorari pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 120, Florida Statutes 1969, F.S.A., challenges the refusal of the Director of the Division of Beverage to grant to him a retail liquor employee’s license.
We first turn to respondent’s procedural point concerning failure of petitioner to exhaust his administrative remedies. Respondent argues that Chapter 69-106, Laws of Florida 1969,
“The board of business regulation is authorized to establish procedures for the administration of each division * *. Any interested person may appeal an adverse decision by a division to the board of business regulation.”
it was incumbent upon petitioner to exhaust this administrative remedy prior to instituting the instant petition for writ of certiorari to this Court. Respondent’s appendix contains an abstract from the minutes of a meeting of the Board of Business Regulations which adopted with a few changes the “Appellate Rules of the District Courts of the State of Florida 1962 Revision as amended through June 19, 1968, as an emergency Appellate procedure for the State of Florida Board of Business Regulations until such time as formal rules can be promulgated by the Board.” After detailing this administrative appellate procedure, respondent then argues that “We respectfully submit to the Court that these appellate rules provide that any person who has been aggrieved by the decision of the director of the beverage division, has the right to request a hearing by the department * * * ”
Respondent’s rules and its brief reflect without contradiction that the “hearing” contemplated is a full appellate review by the Board of Business Regulations of a record made up of a transcript, exhibits and briefs and subject in all respects to the technical and formal requirements of a judicial review. It is assumed that by reference to the “Appellate Rules of the District Courts of the State of Florida,” the Board intended that the Florida Appellate Rules be adopted. The most material changes were to provide for the filing of the notice of appeal within 10 days from an adverse ruling, the filing of appellant’s brief within 20 days thereafter, and the posting of bond by appellant. The rules adopted further provide for payment of a $25 filing fee, filing assignments of error, cross assignments of error, motions, briefs, and exhibits, and apparently all other provisions of the Florida Appellate Rules since no deletions were shown. There was no requirement that persons aggrieved by a Division order be notified of the right to appeal, the time for taking same and the name of the board to which application was to be made. We note that the statutory authorization for this complicated proceeding is contained in the single sentence quoted above. The rules thus adopted reflect that this is not the type of administrative proceeding which is contemplated by the principle of exhaustion of administrative remedies. We do not perceive that it was the legislative intent to deprive the citizens of Florida of expeditious and effective judicial review of agency orders by the pyramiding of “government upon government” in the name of Governmental Reorganization.
Chapter 120, Administrative Procedure Act, was initially enacted in 1961. The overall intent of this chapter is to grant to individual citizens quasi-judicial and judicial adjudication of their grievances as to bureaucratic action. Section 120.21 (1) provides, inter alia, that “Agency” means any state officer who constitutes the agency authorized by law to adjudicate any party’s legal rights or privileges.
Isiah White applied for a PIC (person in charge of a retail establishment) license as an employee of Westside Investments, Inc. On December 29, 1969, the Director issued an order to Westside entitled “Official Notice of State Beverage Department of Florida.”
Section 561.15(1) expressed the legislative intent that persons licensed by the Beverage Division shall be of good moral character. The legislature did not attempt to prescribe one type of good moral character for a person in charge of a retail establishment and a lesser type of good moral character for a person employed as a wholesale salesman. Apparently the Beverage Department does indulge in grading good moral character, because the Director stated that a person in charge of a retail establishment must meet a “better moral standard” than a person licensed to sell for a wholesaler. The Department, having found for a period of fifteen years that Isiah White is of good moral character, is not now in a position to contend otherwise, especially upon the basis of “confidential information” which it refuses to disclose to the applicant. It is elementary that a citizen is entitled to the reasons given for denial of his license application.
Petitioner challenges the constitutionality of Section 561.15(1) primarily upon the contention that it does not specify the standards for “good moral character.” We doubt that the legislature could in its infinite wisdom detail each salient standard
Certiorari is granted with directions to grant the application of petitioner.
. Commonly known as the Governmental Reorganization Act of 1969.
. Note: Throughout these proceedings the Division of Beverage is referred to in its past capacity as Beverage Department.