Supreme Court of Florida

The Citrus Canker Law is constitutional. Because the State pays compensation for the healthy but exposed trees that it destroys, the courts must defer to the Legislature's evaluation of the relevant scientific evidence and to its choice of means to eradicate citrus canker.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/12/2004
• Published 02/12/2004

Judges

• PARIENTE, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of Florida

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Edward A. Dion, Broward County Attorney, and Andrew J. Meyers, Chief Appellate Counsel, Fort Lauderdale, FL;  Robert A. Ginsburg, Miami-Dade County Attorney, and Robert A. Duvall, III, Assistant County Attorney, Miami, FL;  Samuel S. Goren, City Attorney, City of Coral Springs, and Michael D. Cirullo of Goren, Cherof, Doody & Ezrol, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, FL;  Monroe D. Kiar, Town Attorney, Town of Davie, Davie, FL;  Diana Grub Frieser, City Attorney, and John O. McKirchy, Assistant City Attorney, Boca Raton, FL;  and Gordon B. Linn, City Attorney, and Jim Stokes, Assistant City Attorney, City of Pompano Beach, Pompano Beach, FL, on behalf of John M. Haire, et al.;   and Craig P. Kalil of Aballi, Milne, Kalil & Escagedo, P.A., Miami, FL;  William J. Moore, III of Henrichsen Siegel Moore, Jacksonville, FL;  and Malcolm A. Misuraca of the Law Offices of Malcolm A. Misuraca, Newport Beach, CA, on behalf of Brooks Tropicals, Inc., for Petitioners., Michael L. Rosen of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P., Tampa, FL, for Florida Citrus Mutual, Amicus Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Arthur J. England, Jr., Elliot H. Scherker, and Elliot B. Kula of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Miami, FL;  Jerold I. Budney of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, FL;  and David C. Ashburn of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Tallahassee, FL, on behalf of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, for Respondent.