CITY OF NORTH PORT v. WEST VILLAGERS FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT INC AND JOHN MEISEL (2022)

The City of North Port petitions this court for second-tier certiorari review, seeking to quash the circuit court's order granting the first-tier certiorari petition filed by West Villagers for Responsible Government and John Meisel. The circuit court quashed the City Commission's order rejecting West Villagers' petition to contract the City's municipal boundaries pursuant to section 171.051, Florida Statutes (2020). We deny the City's petition.

On a petition for second-tier certiorari, this court's review is extremely limited. “As a case travels up the judicial ladder, review should consistently become narrower ․” Nader v. Fla. Dep't of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, 87 So. 3d 712, 723 (Fla. 2012) (quoting Haines City Cmty. Dev. v. Heggs, 658 So. 2d 523, 530 (Fla. 1995)). On second-tier certiorari review, “[t]he inquiry is limited to whether the circuit court afforded procedural due process and whether the circuit court applied the correct law.“ Id. (quoting Heggs, 658 So. 2d at 530). “[A]ppellate courts must exercise caution not to expand certiorari jurisdiction to review the correctness of the circuit court's decision.” Id.

Here, procedural due process is not at issue, and the circuit court applied the correct law. Because the circuit court applied the correct law, second-tier certiorari relief is not warranted. Accordingly, we deny the City's petition.

Denied.

KHOUZAM, Judge.

MORRIS, C.J., and BLACK, J., Concur.