CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 260

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Kirkpatrick moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 30, line 31,

15

16  insert:

17         Section 14.  Section 704.01, Florida Statutes, is

18  amended to read:

19         (Substantial rewording of section. See

20         s. 704.01, F.S., for present text.)

21         704.01  Common-law and statutory easements of

22  necessity.--

23         (1)  IMPLIED GRANT OF WAY OF NECESSITY.--The common-law

24  rule of an implied grant of necessity is recognized, adopted,

25  and modified as follows:  An implied grant exists when a

26  grantor has conveyed or hereafter conveys lands to which there

27  is no reasonable legal access except over lands retained by

28  the grantor, or when the grantor has retained or hereafter

29  retains lands to which there is no reasonable legal access

30  except over lands that the grantor has conveyed. An implied

31  grant arises only when a unity of title exists from a common

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 260

    Amendment No.    





 1  source other than the original grant from the state or the

 2  United States. An implied grant is unaffected by subsequent

 3  transfer of either the dominant or servient estate, including

 4  involuntary transfers, such as tax deeds, foreclosures, or

 5  reversions.

 6         (2)  STATUTORY WAY OF NECESSITY.--Based on public

 7  policy, convenience, and necessity, a statutory way of

 8  necessity exists when any land does not have reasonable legal

 9  access and no common-law implied grant of way of necessity

10  exists.

11         (3)  EXTENT OF WAY OF NECESSITY.--

12         (a)  For the purposes of either subsection (1) or

13  subsection (2), the way of necessity shall be by the shortest

14  route that provides reasonable legal access between the

15  portion of the dominant estate most in need of the way and the

16  public road nearest thereto; provided, however, that the route

17  of an implied way of necessity to be created pursuant to

18  subsection (1) shall take into consideration any increase in

19  the burden upon the servient estate since the severance of

20  unity of title arising as a result of the creation thereof,

21  and the route of a statutory way of necessity to be created

22  under subsection (2) shall take into consideration the new

23  burden upon the servient estate arising as a result of the

24  creation thereof.

25         (b)  As used in this section, the words "reasonable

26  legal access" has the following meanings:

27         1.  If the dominant estate is within a municipality, it

28  is:  legal access over land which reasonable satisfies all of

29  the requirements for the beneficial use and enjoyment of the

30  dominant estate; and

31         2.  If the dominant estate is not within a

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 260

    Amendment No.    





 1  municipality, it is:  legal access over land other than by way

 2  of a bridge, turnpike road, embankment, or substantial fill.

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 4  For the purposes of paragraph 1., the fact that there exists

 5  some form of legal access to the dominant estate does not

 6  preclude the establishment of a way of necessity if said

 7  existing access is of such a nature that it does not

 8  constitute reasonable legal access by satisfying all of the

 9  reasonable requirements for the beneficial use and enjoyment

10  of the dominant estate.

11         (c)  The way of necessity under either subsection (1)

12  or subsection (2) may also be used for franchised cable

13  television service and necessary utility services, including,

14  but not limited to, water, wastewater, reclaimed water,

15  natural gas, electricity, or telephone service.

16         Section 15.  Section 704.04, Florida Statutes, is

17  amended to read:

18         704.04  Judicial remedy and compensation to servient

19  owner.--When the owner or owners of such lands across which a

20  statutory way of necessity under s. 704.01(2) is claimed,

21  exclusive of the common-law right, objects or refuses to

22  permit the use of such way under the conditions set forth

23  herein or until she or he receives compensation therefor,

24  either party or the board of county commissioners of such

25  county may file suit in the circuit court of the county

26  wherein the land is located in order to determine if the claim

27  for said easement exists, and the amount of compensation to

28  which said party is entitled for use of such easement.  Where

29  said easement is awarded to the owner of the dominant

30  tenement, it shall be in compliance with s. 704.01(2) and

31  shall exist so long as such easement is reasonably necessary

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 260

    Amendment No.    





 1  for the purposes stated herein. The court, in its discretion,

 2  shall determine all questions, including the type, duration,

 3  extent, and location of the easement, the amount of

 4  compensation, and the attorney's fees and costs to be awarded

 5  to either party for unreasonable refusal to comply with the

 6  provisions of s. 704.01(2) provided that if either of said

 7  parties so requests in her or his original pleadings, the

 8  amount of compensation may be determined by a jury trial. The

 9  easement shall date from the time the award is paid. A way of

10  necessity created under this section shall be evidenced by a

11  written instrument, which may be the final judgment, which is

12  placed of record and contains a legally sufficient description

13  of the easement, the dominant estate, and the servient estate.

14         Section 16.  Section 704.03, Florida Statutes, is

15  repealed.

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18  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

19  And the title is amended as follows:

20         On page 3, line 9, after the semicolon

21

22  insert:

23         amending s. 704.01, F.S.; providing for an

24         implied grant of way of necessity and a

25         statutory way of necessity for cable television

26         and other utility services; amending s. 704.04,

27         F.S.; providing for a way of necessity to be

28         evidenced by a written instrument; repealing s.

29         704.03, F.S.; which defines the word

30         "practicable";

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