House Bill 4145

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4145

        By Representatives Eggelletion and Harrington






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Murphy Act lands; amending

  3         s. 253.82, F.S.; providing for conveyance of

  4         all Murphy Act transportation easements to the

  5         governmental entity currently having title to

  6         the adjacent roadway; requiring the

  7         establishment of a procedure for review of

  8         deeds containing Murphy Act transportation

  9         reservations; setting requirements for the

10         review process; providing for compensation of

11         certain property owners when the reservation

12         denies all current economic use of the

13         property; providing for mediation or

14         arbitration; amending s. 712.04, F.S.;

15         providing for release of certain easements held

16         by governmental entities; providing for

17         preservation of road right of way easements;

18         amending s. 712.05, F.S.; providing for release

19         of certain easements held by governmental

20         entities; providing for preservation of road

21         right of way easements; providing an effective

22         date.

23

24  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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26         Section 1.  Subsection (6) is added to section 253.82,

27  Florida Statutes, to read:

28         253.82  Title of state or private owners to Murphy Act

29  lands.--

30         (6)(a)  All road reservations in deeds conveyed

31  pursuant to the Murphy Act prior to July 1, 1991, are hereby

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4145

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  1  vested by operation of law and without the necessity of

  2  instruments of conveyance from the Board of Trustees of the

  3  Internal Improvement Trust Fund, in the governmental entity

  4  having right and title to the road to which the reservations

  5  are adjacent. All reservations adjacent to a road that was

  6  designated as a state road at the time of the reservation and

  7  which road is currently held by the state are conveyed to the

  8  Department of Transportation. All reservations adjacent to a

  9  road that was designated as a state road at the time of the

10  reservation and which is located in an unincorporated area of

11  a county or on a road owned by the county within any

12  incorporated area are conveyed to the respective counties. All

13  other reservations within incorporated areas adjacent to a

14  road that was designated as a state road at the time of the

15  reservation and which are not otherwise conveyed to the state

16  or the county are conveyed to the incorporated area. The

17  conveyance includes all right, title, and interests in the

18  reservation held by the Board of Trustees of the Internal

19  Improvement Trust Fund.

20         (b)  Every entity holding title to Murphy Act

21  reservations must establish a procedure for review of any deed

22  containing a reservation when a review is requested or a road

23  project is anticipated. The review process must provide for:

24         1.  A determination of whether the language of the deed

25  created a reservation at the time of the original conveyance.

26         2.  Review of any release of the reservation provided

27  by the property owner.

28         3.  The recording of a notice of the non-existence of a

29  reservation if reservation language in the deed does not

30  impact the property.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4145

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  1         4.  A determination of whether any or all of the

  2  reservation may be released, and a form for recording the

  3  release.

  4         5.  A process to allow for review through mediation if

  5  requested by the property owner or through binding arbitration

  6  pursuant to chapter 44.

  7         6.  Any fee charged not to exceed the actual cost to

  8  review the deed, perform an appeal and pay for any recording

  9  expenses, with no fee to exceed $300.

10         (c)1.  Any owner of property encumbered by a Murphy Act

11  road reservation who has been denied a release of all or part

12  of the reservation or who has received notice of a

13  governmental entity's intent to preserve the reservation under

14  section 712.05, may appeal to the entity and show that the

15  reservation denies the property owner the current economic use

16  of the property held by the owner. 

17         2.  Upon a determination by the governmental entity

18  that the reservation denies the property owner the current

19  economic use of the property held by the owner, the entity

20  must purchase the real property and improvements not retained

21  by the property owner in fee simple title or release all or

22  part of the reservation as necessary to allow for beneficial

23  use of the property.

24         3.  Where the governmental entity and the property

25  owner are unable to agree as to the denial of the current

26  economic use of the property or the purchase price, the

27  property owner may request mediation or binding arbitration

28  pursuant to chapter 44 to resolve these issues.

29         4.  Prior to the payment of any compensation, the

30  property owner must provide the governmental entity copies of

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4145

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  1  any title insurance policies and notice of any compensation

  2  received from a title company related to the easement.

  3         (3)  The process for release of any road reservation

  4  covered by this section or payment for property impacted by

  5  the use of a reservation covered by this section shall be

  6  solely in accordance with this section. Any action for the

  7  taking of property related to road construction is separate

  8  and distinct from an action pursuant to this section.

  9         (4)  The governmental entity shall not be liable for

10  attorney fees or costs incurred by the owner in establishing

11  the impact of the road reservation on the property.

12         Section 2.  Section 712.04, Florida Statute, is amended

13  to read:

14         712.04  Interests extinguished by marketable record

15  title.--Subject to the matters stated in s. 712.03, such

16  marketable record title shall be free and clear of all

17  estates, interests, claims, or charges whatsoever, the

18  existence of which depends upon any act, title transaction,

19  event or omission that occurred prior to the effective date of

20  the root of title.  All such estates, interests, claims, or

21  charges, however denominated, whether such estates, interests,

22  claims, or charges are or appear to be held or asserted by a

23  person sui juris or under a disability, whether such person is

24  within or without the state, whether such person is natural or

25  corporate, or is private or governmental, are hereby declared

26  to be null and void, except that this chapter shall not be

27  deemed to affect any right, title, or interest of the United

28  States, Florida, or any of its officers, boards, commissions,

29  or other agencies reserved in the patent or deed by which the

30  United States, Florida, or any of its agencies parted with

31  title. Provided, however, that easements for state road right

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4145

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  1  of way reserved in deeds by the Trustees of the Internal

  2  Improvement Trust Fund, conveying land acquired under chapter

  3  18296, Laws of Florida, 1937, shall be extinguished by the

  4  Marketable Record Title Act on July 1, 2001, subject to the

  5  matters under section 712.03, and further subject to the right

  6  of any governmental entity holding title to said reservations

  7  to preserve such reservations that are necessary for future

  8  transportation projects in adopted transportation plans by

  9  filing notice under section 712.05, before July 1, 2001.

10         Section 3.  Subsection (3) is added to section 712.05,

11  Florida Statutes, to read:

12         712.05  Effect of filing notice.--

13         (3)  Any governmental entity claiming a road

14  reservation pursuant to a deed conveyed pursuant to the Murphy

15  Act prior to July 1, 1991, may preserve the reservation or any

16  portion thereof necessary for future transportation projects

17  in adopted transportation plans and protect it from

18  extinguishment by the operation of this chapter by filing for

19  record, prior to July 1, 2001, a notice, in writing, in

20  accordance with the provisions of this chapter. The notice

21  will have the effect of preserving the reservation or portion

22  thereof for a period of 10 years. If the reservation is used

23  for a road during the 10 year period the reservation is not

24  extinguished.

25         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

26  law.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4145

    503-153A-98






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  3
      Provides for the conveyance of Murphy Act road
  4    reservations. Requires the establishment of a procedure
      for review of deeds containing reservations. Provides
  5    criteria for the review process. Provides for
      compensation of property owners. Provides for the release
  6    of described easements held by governmental entities. See
      bill for details.
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