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Just compensation in Florida

What the constitution actually promises, and why the word full does real work here.

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Article X section 6 of the Florida Constitution permits a taking only for a public purpose, and requires full compensation, paid to each owner or secured by deposit in the registry of the court and available to the owner.

Most state constitutions say just compensation. Florida says full compensation, and the difference is not decorative. It directs attention to everything the owner has lost rather than only to the market value of the ground acquired.

The short answer

Full compensation means the value of what is taken plus the effect on what you keep, and in Florida it can also reach damage to a business operating on the property.

How the figure is built

1

Identify the interest acquired

Fee, permanent easement or temporary construction easement.

2

Establish highest and best use

The assumption that moves the number most.

3

Value what is taken

Market evidence applied to that interest.

4

Value the property before the taking

The whole parcel as it stood.

5

Value the remainder after the project

The same land with the take made and the project built.

6

Severance damages

The difference, where there is one.

7

Business damages where they apply

Section 73.071(3)(b), subject to its conditions.

8

Costs and fees

Sections 73.091 and 73.092 place these on the condemning authority.

What property owners often consider

Full, not merely market

An offer built only on the market value of the strip has answered the easier question and stopped.

Secured by deposit

Article X section 6 allows compensation to be secured by deposit in the registry of the court and made available to the owner. Chapter 74 is the mechanism.

Frequently asked questions

Is full compensation different from just compensation?

Florida uses the word full in Article X section 6. In practice it directs attention beyond the value of the part acquired to the effect on the owner as a whole, particularly on partial takings.

When must I be paid?

Article X section 6 requires compensation to be paid to the owner or secured by deposit in the registry of the court and available to the owner.

Does it cover my legal costs?

Sections 73.091 and 73.092 make the condemning authority responsible for reasonable costs of the defence and for attorney fees calculated on the benefit obtained.

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