Boyd v. Lane
Boyd v. Lane
Opinion of the Court
After a trial without a jury, the circuit court found that appellee Lane and those whose prior possession of the disputed land inured to her benefit had satisfied all requisites for the acquisition of title by adverse possession without color of title. Lane was thus found to have acquired title prior to June 5, 1939, when payment of taxes became an essential element of such claims. Ch. 19S24, § 1, Fla.Laws 1939; as amended, § 95.18(1), F.S.1975. The case is governed by § 4656, C.G.L.1927.
AFFIRMED.
. Subsection one provided: “Where it shall appear that there has been an actual continued occupation for seven years of premises under a claim of title exclusive of any other right, but not founded upon a written instrument, or a judgment or decree, the premises so actually occupied, and no other, shall be deemed to have been held adversely.” Subsection two provided in part that “land shall be deemed to have been possessed and occupied . . . [w]here it has been protected by substantial enclosure.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent.
From a final judgment determining that appellee (plaintiff in the trial court) had established title by adverse possession to a triangular parcel of property in Nassau County, Florida, this appeal was taken.
Government Lot 1 and Government Lot 2 are adjacent to one another and both are located in Section 32, Township 1 South, Range 23 East, in Nassau County, Florida. Lot 1 is in the northeasterly corner of said Section 32. It is bounded on the west by the easterly boundary of Lot 2. However, Lot 2 is much larger than, and has a longer north-sound boundary than, Lot 1. Lot 1 is owned by appellee Mabel Lane. Although the record is not clear as to how much of Lot 2 is owned by appellant Hin-son Boyd or David Hunt, it is apparent that they, or one of them, claim to be the record owners of the easterly portion thereof, being the only part material to this controversy.
It is readily apparent that in order for adverse possession without color of title to ripen into title under the applicable statutes the evidence must establish (1) actual continued occupation (2) for seven years (3) of premises (4) under a claim of title exclusive of any other right. Further, the premises actually occupied, and no other, is deemed to have been held adversely.
The law applicable to acquisition of title by adverse possession is thoroughly discussed in this Court’s opinion in Orange Blossom Hills, Inc. v. Kearsley, Fla.App. 1st 1974, 299 So.2d 75, and no useful purpose will be served by repetition here. Also often stated are the principles of law requiring that a presumption of correctness be accorded the actions of a trial judge, particularly when sitting as a trier of the facts, and recognizing his exclusive prerogative to weigh the evidence and judge the credibility of witnesses. The findings of a trial judge may not be disturbed on appeal if supported in the record by any credible evidence. However, a trial judge, like a jury, is prohibited from speculation and conjecture and his findings must have some basis in the record.
Appellant first urges that the evidence does not sustain the finding that appellee went into possession prior to June 5, 1932. (Seven years prior to the effective date of F.S. 95.18 and F.S. 95.19) Although the evidence is conflicting and contradictory a review of the record reveals sufficient evidence, which the trial judge apparently believed, to sustain such a finding.
The record does not, however, reveal that the plaintiff’s possession was in fact adverse. On the contrary, the plaintiff herself testified that although she and her husband (now deceased) when into possession of Lot 1 and the property in dispute (which was apparently thought and considered to be a part of Lot 1) in 1931 or 1932 they went into possession pursuant to a “bargain” to purchase the property from relatives of plaintiff’s husband and it wasn’t until 1939 that such agreement was consummated and a deed executed.
Finally, the evidence is deficient in describing “the premises so actually occupied”.
I would reverse.
. The identity of the record title owner is neither alleged nor proved. The Third Amended Complaint names David Hunt and Hinson Boyd as defendants and alleges that Boyd “claims and asserts an interest therein adverse to the Plaintiff.” There is no further mention of Hunt. The Record-on-Appeal contains no answer by Hunt, but the Answer of Boyd recites “This Defendant admits that he claims title to a portion of the land that the Plaintiff attempts to describe in * * * said Third Amended Complaint, * * The briefs, too, are silent on the point. However, upon being asked by her attorney: “This piece of property, as I understand, is in dispute between you and Mr. Hunt and Mr. Boyd?” The plaintiff responded “Tes sir.” The Notice of Appeal, though the style contains the name David Hunt, purports to be by Hinson Boyd only.
.Prior to June 5, 1939, the governing law applicable to adverse possession without color of title was Section 1722, Chapter 26, General Statutes, 1906, which provided in material part as follows:
“Adverse possession without color of title.— 1. To be Land in Actual Occupation Only.— Where it shall appear that there has been an actual continued occupation for seven years of premises under a claim of title exclusive of any other right, but not founded upon a written instrument or a judgment or decree, the premises so actually occupied, and no other, shall be deemed to have been held adversely.”
Paragraph 2 defined the “Occupation and Possession Required” as being:
“2. Definition of Occupation and Possession Required. — For the purpose of constituting an adverse possession by a person claiming title or decree, land shall be deemed to have been possessed and occupied in the following cases only: 1. Where it has been protected by a substantial enclosure ; or, 2, where it has been usually cultivated or improved.”
. Snedaker v. Snedaker, Fla.App.1st 1976, 327 So.2d 72.
. The deed did not describe the subject property and was not recorded until March of 1940.
. Section 1722, Chapter 26, General Statutes, supra. See also Okeechobee Co. for the use and benefit of Highsmith v. Norton, 145 Fla. 417, 199 So. 319; J. C. Vereen & Sons v. Houser, 123 Fla. 641, 167 So. 45 and Orange Blossom Hills, Inc. v. Kearsley, supra.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.