Terms Used In Florida Statutes > Chapter 177 - Land Boundaries

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Alley: means a right-of-way providing a secondary means of access and service to abutting property. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Block: includes "tier" or "group" and means a group of lots existing within well-defined and fixed boundaries, usually being an area surrounded by streets or other physical barriers and having an assigned number, letter, or other name through which it may be identified. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Board: means any board appointed by a municipality, county commission, or state agency, such as the planning and zoning board, area planning board, or the governing board of a drainage district. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Common disaster: A sudden and extraordinary misfortune that brings about the simultaneous or near-simultaneous deaths of two or more associated persons, such as husband and wife.
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Cul-de-sac: means a street terminated at the end by a vehicular turnaround. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Developer: means the owners of record executing the dedication required by…. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Disaster: means any natural, technological, or civil emergency that causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to result in a declaration of a state of emergency by a county, the Governor, or the President of the United States. See Florida Statutes 252.34
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Division: means the Division of Emergency Management within the Executive Office of the Governor, or the successor to that division. See Florida Statutes 252.34
• Easement: means any strip of land created by a subdivider for public or private utilities, drainage, sanitation, or other specified uses having limitations, the title to which shall remain in the name of the property owner, subject to the right of use designated in the reservation of the servitude. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Emergency: means any occurrence, or threat thereof, whether natural, technological, or manmade, in war or in peace, which results or may result in substantial injury or harm to the population or substantial damage to or loss of property. See Florida Statutes 252.34
• Emergency management: means the preparation for, the mitigation of, the response to, and the recovery from emergencies and disasters. See Florida Statutes 252.34
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Governing body: means the board of county commissioners or the legal governing body of a county, municipality, town, or village of this state. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Legal entity: means an entity that holds a certificate of authorization issued under chapter 472, whether the entity is a corporation, partnership, association, or person practicing under a fictitious name. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Local emergency management agency: means an organization created in accordance with the provisions of ss. See Florida Statutes 252.34
• Lot: includes tract or parcel and means the least fractional part of subdivided lands having limited fixed boundaries, and an assigned number, letter, or other name through which it may be identified. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• minor: includes any person who has not attained the age of 18 years. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• Monument: means a survey marker which must:
  (a) Be composed of a durable material. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Municipality: means any incorporated city, town, or village. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• oath: includes affirmations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Plat or replat: means a map or delineated representation of the subdivision of lands, being a complete exact representation of the subdivision and other information in compliance with the requirement of all applicable sections of this part and of any local ordinances. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Political subdivision: means any county or municipality created pursuant to law. See Florida Statutes 252.34
• political subdivision: include counties, cities, towns, villages, special tax school districts, special road and bridge districts, bridge districts, and all other districts in this state. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Professional surveyor and mapper: means a surveyor and mapper registered under chapter 472 who is in good standing with the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Public utility: includes any public or private utility, such as, but not limited to, storm drainage, sanitary sewers, electric power, water service, gas service, or telephone line, whether underground or overhead. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Right-of-way: means land dedicated, deeded, used, or to be used for a street, alley, walkway, boulevard, drainage facility, access for ingress and egress, or other purpose by the public, certain designated individuals, or governing bodies. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• State plane coordinates: means the system of plane coordinates which has been established by the National Ocean Service for defining and stating the positions or locations of points on the surface of the earth within the state and shall hereinafter be known and designated as the "Florida State Plane Coordinate System. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Street: includes any access way such as a street, road, lane, highway, avenue, boulevard, alley, parkway, viaduct, circle, court, terrace, place, or cul-de-sac, and also includes all of the land lying between the right-of-way lines as delineated on a plat showing such streets, whether improved or unimproved, but shall not include those access ways such as easements and rights-of-way intended solely for limited utility purposes, such as for electric power lines, gas lines, telephone lines, water lines, drainage and sanitary sewers, and easements of ingress and egress. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Subdivision: means the division of land into three or more lots, parcels, tracts, tiers, blocks, sites, units, or any other division of land; and includes establishment of new streets and alleys, additions, and resubdivisions; and, when appropriate to the context, relates to the process of subdividing or to the lands or area subdivided. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Survey data: means all information shown on the face of a plat that would delineate the physical boundaries of the subdivision and any parts thereof. See Florida Statutes 177.031
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01