Opinion

Susan Snyder v. Florida Prepaid College Board

  • 269 So. 3d 586
Court
District Court of Appeal of Florida
Filed
Mar 13, 2019
Status
Published
Cited by
3 cases
Authority
More cited than 49.1%

The opinion

FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL

STATE OF FLORIDA

_____________________________

No. 1D17-4768

_____________________________

SUSAN SNYDER,

Appellant,

v.

FLORIDA PREPAID COLLEGE

BOARD,

Appellee.

_____________________________

On appeal from the Circuit Court for Leon County.

John C. Cooper, Judge.

March 13, 2019

M.K. THOMAS, J.

Susan Snyder appeals an order granting final summary

judgment in favor of the Florida Prepaid College Board (the

“Board”). She argues summary judgment is improper because the

terms of the contract obligated the Board to pay the value of the

Tuition Differential Fee (“TDF”), a fee implemented by the

Legislature after she purchased a Florida Prepaid Tuition Plan.

Alternatively, she argues the prepaid plan contract is ambiguous

and, therefore, precludes summary judgment. We disagree and

affirm.

I. Facts

The Legislature created the Florida Prepaid College Program

(“Florida Prepaid”) as a means for participants to lock-in and

prepay certain costs of a future postsecondary education. §

1009.98(1), Fla. Stat. (2018) (describing the current Stanley G.

Tate Florida Prepaid College Program). Florida Prepaid is

administered by the Board, which has statutorily defined rights

and duties. § 1009.971, Fla. Stat. (2018). The Legislature has

authorized the Board to offer various prepaid plan options, or

advance payment contracts, each of which includes statutorily

defined benefits. § 1009.98(2), Fla. Stat. (2018).

A. Snyder’s Tuition Plan

In 2004, Snyder purchased a prepaid plan from the Board and

designated her son as the beneficiary. During the 2003-2004 Open

Enrollment Period, the Board offered three different plan options.

Snyder selected and purchased the 4-Year University Tuition

Plan. 1 In the Tuition Plan, the Board was authorized to provide

“prepaid registration fees for a specified number of undergraduate

semester credit hours . . .” See § 1009.98(2)(b)1., Fla. Stat. (2003).

As part of the contract, Snyder accepted the Board’s Master

Covenant, which set forth the policies and terms of Florida

Prepaid. The governing document at the time of Snyder’s purchase

was entitled 2003-2004 Master Covenant (“03/04 MC”). Under the

provisions of the 03/04 MC, Snyder would prepay “120 semester

credit hours of tuition at a state university,” and the Board would

later pay her son’s chosen institution 120 credit hours of

“registration fees.” The 03/04 MC defined “registration fee” to

mean “the fee charged for tuition and includes the matriculation

fee, financial aid fee, building fee, and Capital Improvement Trust

1 Other plan options offered at the time were the “Local Fee

Plan,” which applied to the “activity and service, health, and

athletic fees,” and the “Dormitory Plan,” which applied to the fee

charged for residence. At present, the Board is authorized to offer

six different plan options. See § 1009.98(2), Fla. Stat. (2018).

2

Fund fee.” This definition was similar to that found in chapter

1009 at the time. See § 1009.97(3)(g), Fla. Stat. (2003) (defining

“registration fee” to mean “tuition fee, financial aid fee, building

fee, and Capital Improvement Trust Fund fee”). 2

Snyder’s prepaid plan contract equally applied whether her

son went to an in-state or an out-of-state institution, with some

exceptions not relevant here. The 03/04 MC provided, “The Board

will transfer an amount not to exceed the current rates at state

universities and community colleges in Florida” and at “an amount

not to exceed the redemption value of the advance payment

contract at a state postsecondary institution.” See § 1009.98(3),

Fla. Stat. The 03/04 MC also expressly detailed that the

beneficiary was responsible for any additional fees charged by

state universities and community colleges, “including but not

limited to application fees, laboratory fees, meal plan fees, and

security deposits.” The redemption value of the advance payment

contract for 4-Year University Tuition Plans, if the beneficiary

attended school out-of-state, “shall be the average amount of

tuition . . . charged by the state universities . . . at the time of

matriculation.” Fla. Admin. Code R. 19B-9.003 (2001).

B. The Tuition Differential Fee

In 2007, the Legislature authorized state universities to

impose a new fee – the TDF. See Ch. 2007-225 § 1, Laws of Fla.

The Legislature did not include the TDF in the definition of tuition

or registration fee, but created it as a separate, statutorily defined

fee. See §§ 1009.01(3), 1009.24(16), Fla. Stat. (2007). “Tuition

differential” is defined as “the supplemental fee charged to a

student for instruction provided by a public university in this state

pursuant to s. 1009.24(15).” § 1009.01(3), Fla. Stat. (2007). 3

However, the Legislature excluded pre-existing Florida Prepaid

2 The building fee was merged into the Capital Improvement

Trust Fund fee in 2012. Ch. 2012-134, § 22, Laws of Fla.

3 In 2009, section 1009.01(3), Florida Statutes, was amended

to define the TDF as, “the supplemental fee charged to a student

by a public university in this state pursuant to s. 1009.24(16).”

3

participants like Snyder from paying the TDF: “Beneficiaries

having prepaid tuition contracts pursuant to s. 1009.98(2)(b) which

were in effect on July 1, 2007, and which remain in effect, are

exempt from the payment of the tuition differential.” Ch. 2007-

225, § 2, Laws of Fla. (amending § 1009.24, Fla. Stat.); §

1009.24(16)(b)5., Fla. Stat. (2018).

In 2009, the TDF provision was further amended to allocate

seventy percent of its revenue to “undergraduate education” and

thirty percent to student financial aid. See Ch. 2009-98, § 3, Laws

of Fla. (amending § 1009.24, Fla. Stat.). Also, the Board authorized

the purchase of a separate plan to cover the TDF which may be

purchased in conjunction with a Tuition Plan. See §

1009.98(2)(b)4., Fla. Stat. (2018).

C. Enrollment in an Out-of-State Institution

Snyder’s son elected to attend a non-Florida state institution

– the Citadel in South Carolina. As per the terms of Snyder’s

prepaid plan contract, the Board paid the Citadel for 120 hours of

“registration fees” as that term was defined in the contract at a

rate of $116.00 per credit hour. Snyder, however, argued the

Board underpaid, as she interpreted the Board’s obligation in the

03/04 MC to require transfer of an amount per credit hour

determined at “the current rate” of in-state schools which she

asserts should include the value of the TDF. Snyder concedes the

Board was paying her son’s tuition at the statutorily defined rate.

The Board paid to the Citadel the exact amount it would have paid

to any Florida university if Snyder’s son was attending class in-

state. The difference between the amount the Board actually paid

and the amount Snyder claimed the Board owed (the amount of

the TDF), is approximately $10,000 over the course of four years. 4

4 Both the 03/04 MC and the 2016-2017 Master Contract

(“16/17 MC”) allow subscribers to use their plan benefits at eligible

institutions outside of Florida. No material differences exist

between the two versions of the master contracts with regard to

the use of Tuition Plan benefits at an eligible out-of-state

institution.

4

In 2015, Snyder sued the Board for declaratory and monetary

relief, arguing the Board was not paying as contemplated under

the 03/04 MC. She asserted claims for breach of contract,

declaratory relief, and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair

dealing. Notably, Snyder never sought as part of her relief a

rescission of the contract, nor did she seek a refund under the

terms of the contract. Instead, she sought only payment of an

additional benefit to her Tuition Plan – the value of the TDF. She

argued, under the 03/04 MC and Florida Prepaid promotional

materials, she understood the Board would pay out-of-state tuition

based on the “current rates” at Florida universities and colleges,

and because “current rates” necessarily must now include the

TDF, she was also entitled to payment of the TDF value.

The trial court ultimately rejected Snyder’s claims and

entered an order granting final summary judgment in the Board’s

favor. This is Snyder’s appeal.

II. Analysis

We review an order granting final summary judgment de

novo. Volusia Cty. v. Aberdeen at Ormond Beach, L.P., 760 So. 2d

126, 130 (Fla. 2000). “Summary judgment is proper if there is no

genuine issue of material fact and if the moving party is entitled

to a judgment as a matter of law.” Id. The issue in this case turns

on the trial court’s interpretation of Snyder’s prepaid plan contract

as well as the statutes and regulations governing Florida Prepaid,

which we also review de novo. Tierra Holdings, Ltd. v. Mercantile

Bank, 78 So. 3d 558, 562 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011); Imagine Ins. Co. v.

State ex rel. Dep’t of Fin. Servs., 999 So. 2d 693, 696 (Fla. 1st DCA

2008).

In granting final summary judgment for the Board, the trial

court concluded the amended master contract in effect at the time

of final summary judgment proceedings, the 2016-2017 Master

Contract (“16/17 MC”), governed the parties’ relationship and, by

its unambiguous language, precluded Snyder’s entitlement to the

value of the TDF. In the alternative, it concluded under either the

03/04 MC or the 16/17 MC, Snyder’s Tuition Plan did not include

the value of the TDF. We agree with the trial court’s analysis.

5

A. The 16/17 Master Contract Governs the Parties’ Relationship

Snyder argues the trial court erred in holding the 16/17 MC

governed the parties’ relationship. She asserts this holding

erroneously condones the Board’s unrestricted right to serially and

materially amend the parties’ agreement, resulting in an

impairment of her rights. We disagree.

The Board manages Florida Prepaid on behalf of all

participants, not just Snyder. See § 1009.971, Fla. Stat. (2018).

The Board’s role is to administer Florida Prepaid as the program

is created and amended by the Legislature. See State, Bd. of Trs.

of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund v. Day Cruise Ass’n, Inc.,

794 So. 2d 696, 700-01 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001) (recognizing most

administrative agencies are creatures of statute and have only

those powers the statutes confer). The Board implements the

Legislature’s vision for Florida Prepaid through the

administrative rulemaking process. See §§ 120.52(8), 120.536,

1009.971(4)(aa) Fla. Stat. (2018). The preamble to the 03/04 MC

makes clear the larger scope of the Board’s responsibility:

The applicable provisions of part IV, Chapter 1009,

Florida Statutes, rules contained in Chapters 19B-4

through 19B-13 and Rule Chapter 19B-15, Florida

Administrative Code, and s. 529 of the Internal Revenue

Code, as amended from time to time, shall apply to the

contract and are incorporated by reference.

That is, the Florida Prepaid statutes must necessarily govern

and provide the contextual framework for all advance payment

contracts into which the Board, as the contracting authority for

Florida Prepaid, enters. The language of the 03/04 MC preamble

expressly placed Snyder on notice that her contract was subject to

the statutory and regulatory framework at the time and “as

amended from time to time.” See Century Vill., Inc. v. Wellington,

E,F,K,L,H,J,M,& G Condo. Ass’n., 361 So. 2d 128, 133 (Fla. 1978)

(upholding a contract provision that incorporated by reference

provisions of the Condominium Act, “as it may be amended from

time to time,” and finding this language was clear the parties

intended amendments would become a part of the controlling

document whenever they were enacted); Sans Souci v. Div. of Fla.

6

Land Sales & Condos., Dep’t of Bus. Regulation, 421 So. 2d 623,

629 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982) (discussing the “automatic amendment

theory” and explaining the legal effect of an amendment clause is

to apply all subsequent amendments of the specific law to the

declaration, as if expressed therein). Further, Snyder is presumed

to know that, upon contracting with the Board, her contract

incorporated the overall statutory and regulatory Florida Prepaid

framework as well. See Westside EKG Assocs. v. Found. Health,

932 So. 2d 214, 216 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005) (“It is an accepted

principle of law that when parties contract upon a matter which is

the subject of statutory regulation, the parties are presumed to

have entered into their agreement with reference to such statute,

which becomes a part of the contract, unless the contract discloses

a contrary intention.”).

Not only did the preamble put Snyder on notice her contract

was subject to amendments in the Florida Prepaid program as a

whole, the master contract is incorporated by reference into

Florida Administrative Code Rule 19B-4.001(2). As the need for a

new or amended master contract arises with legislative changes to

Florida Prepaid, the rule is amended to incorporate the latest

version of the master contract, which amendment must necessarily

apply to Snyder as per the terms of the 03/04 MC preamble. Any

prejudice flowing to Snyder by virtue of the amendments is

remedied by the fact that the Board’s administrative rulemaking

process provides notice and an opportunity for public comment.

See Diverse Elements, Inc. v. Ecommerce, Inc., 5 F. Supp. 3d 1378,

1382 (S.D. Fla. 2014) (recognizing that reserving the right to

unilaterally modify a contract must be subject to certain

restrictions such as reasonable notice so as to not render the

contract illusory). We find no merit in Snyder’s suggestion the

Board, as a state agency, has no capacity to amend the parties’

agreement. As the trial court recognized, we have approved an

agency’s use of administrative rules to govern the substance of

“continuing contracts.” See, e.g., United Faculty of Fla. v. Fla.

State Bd. of Educ., 157 So. 3d 514, 517-18 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015)

(upholding the State Board of Education’s ability to adopt rules

governing certain employment contracts for college instructional

personnel).

7

The trial court correctly determined that Snyder’s contract

with the Board was not a static document and that the Board was

able to amend its overall contractual program by way of

administrative rulemaking to keep up with legislative changes to

Florida Prepaid. We agree with the trial court that the preamble

language of the 03/04 MC appropriately incorporated the

administrative rules and statutes, as amended, into the parties’

contract and put Snyder on notice that she was agreeing to be

bound by the current version of the master contract. As such, the

trial court appropriately determined the plain language of the

03/04 MC mandates that the current, amended master contract

prevails.

B. The 16/17 Master Contract is Unambiguous

We must look to the plain language of the 16/17 MC to

determine whether Snyder is entitled to the value of the TDF as

part of her prepaid tuition plan. See Columbia Bank v. Columbia

Developers, LLC, 127 So. 3d 670, 673 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013) (“The

cardinal rule of contractual construction is that when the language

of the contract is clear and unambiguous, the contract must be

interpreted and enforced in accordance with its plain meaning.”).

When a contract is clear and unambiguous, the court’s role is to

enforce the contract as written, not to rewrite the contract to make

it more reasonable for one of the parties. Id. (citing Ferreira v.

Home Depot/Sedgwick CMS, 12 So. 3d 866, 868 (Fla. 1st DCA

2009)). Snyder concedes the 16/17 MC is clear and unambiguous.

Under the 16/17 MC, a Tuition Plan covers “registration fees”

for 120 semester credit hours, but expressly excludes the TDF,

which is covered under a separately purchased plan. The 16/17

MC defines “registration fee” with reference to the specific

statutorily defined components: the tuition fee authorized in

section 1009.24(4), the financial aid fee authorized in section

1009.24(7), and the Capital Improvement Trust Fund Fee

authorized in section 1009.24(7). The 16/17 MC provides the

Board will transfer to out-of-state institutions “an amount not to

exceed the current average rates payable under the Beneficiary’s

plan(s) to a State University or Florida College.” (Emphasis

added.) A pre-2007 purchaser of a Florida Prepaid Plan would

never have to pay the TDF because of the express Legislative

8

exemption. Pursuant to the plain language of the contract, the

value of the TDF is not transferable to an out-of-state institution

and Snyder’s prepaid plan does not include the value of the TDF.

In this regard, the trial court appropriately granted summary

judgment for the Board.

C. The 03/04 Master Covenant is Unambiguous

The trial court also upheld summary judgment on an

alternative basis: no matter which Master Contract controlled,

Snyder was not entitled to the value of the TDF under the prepaid

plan she purchased. Snyder maintains that the 03/04 MC controls

and not the 16/17 MC. Furthermore, she asserts that under the

03/04 MC, the term “current rates” is ambiguous. We cannot

agree. When read in context, it is clear that “current rates” are the

rates of fees covered by Florida Prepaid, here registration fees, not

the rates of other fees that the purchaser’s plan does not cover. The

use of the term “transfer” in section 5.06 of the 03/04 MC and in

section 1009.98(3) illustrates the amount payable to an out-of-

state institution is not a separate benefit, but is the same benefit

the beneficiary would have received at an in-state institution.

Snyder’s interpretation is absurd as it would result in a windfall

to students who leave Florida to acquire their education. Further,

if a Tuition Plan was intended to cover the TDF, then the

legislative decision to authorize the Board to offer TDF Plans

would be nonsensical.

Even if we agreed with Snyder that the 16/17 MC does not

control, in order to reverse summary judgment, we would have to

find some dispute of fact. Snyder has failed to identify facts in

dispute. Accordingly, we would have to accept Snyder’s

interpretation of the contract as reasonable. See Strama v. Union

Fid. Life Ins. Co., 793 So. 2d 1129, 1132 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001)

(recognizing where an ambiguous provision in a contract is

susceptible to more than one interpretation, there is an issue of

fact as to the parties’ intent that cannot properly be resolved by

summary judgment). The crux of Snyder’s argument is that the

TDF is tuition by another name and that it comprises a portion of

the “current rates” at Florida universities and community colleges,

so the only reasonable interpretation of the 03/04 MC is that she

9

is entitled to the value of the TDF. The trial court appropriately

found this interpretation unreasonable.

In the 03/04 MC, the Board pledged to transfer “an amount

not to exceed the current rates at state universities and community

colleges in Florida” to a beneficiary who elected to attend an out-

of-state institution. The corresponding provision in section

1009.98(2)(b) states the Board “shall provide prepaid registration

fees for a specified number of undergraduate semester credit hours

not to exceed the average number of hours required for the

conference of a baccalaureate degree.” § 1009.98(2)(b)1., Fla. Stat.

(2003). The 03/04 MC tracks the language of chapter 1009 when

it defines “Registration fee” as “the fee charged for tuition and

includes the matriculation fee, 5 financial aid fee, building fee, and

Capital Improvement Trust Fund Fee.” See § 1009.97(3)(g), Fla.

Stat. (2003). It is clear that at the time the parties entered into

contract, the Board was obligated to transfer more than just

“tuition” under a Tuition Plan, but the extra amount included only

those fees referenced in the definition of “registration fee.” The

03/04 MC made this clear by its provision indicating the

beneficiary was responsible for additional fees.

What undermines Snyder’s argument is the Legislature’s

decision to define the TDF separately from tuition or registration

fee. See §§ 1009.01(1), (3), Fla. Stat. (2007) (defining “tuition” and

“tuition differential” separately); § 1009.24, Fla. Stat. (2007)

(authorizing different rates for tuition and the TDF). With the

amendments in 2007, the Legislature included subsection

1009.98(2)(b)3., which authorized the Board to provide advance

payment contracts for the TDF authorized in section 1009.24(16)

“in conjunction with advance payment contracts for registration

fees.” § 1009.98(2)(b)3., Fla. Stat. (2007). The Legislature’s safe-

harbor for pre-2007 subscribers was designed to meet subscriber’s

immediate concerns, but was never intended to be an admission

that TDF was a tuition increase.

5 The term “matriculation fee” was not defined in the 03/04

MC, but the trial court received testimony that, at the time, it was

used interchangeably with “tuition.”

10

Although she never purchased a TDF Plan, and although her

son is statutorily exempt from ever paying the TDF, Snyder

demands the Board pay the TDF value because her son decided to

attend an out-of-state school. She asks this Court to award her son,

and all other beneficiaries who use their prepaid benefits outside

of Florida, an additional $45 per credit hour. This would represent

a 42% bonus for those who elected to attend out-of-state schools

over and above the tuition payable to in-state students.

Snyder has received exactly what she bargained for even

under the 03/04 MC - “an amount not to exceed the current rates

at state universities and community colleges in Florida.” While

the term “current rates” is not defined, it must be specific to the

current rates for her son. That is, whether Snyder’s son went in-

state or out-of-state, the Board would never disburse the TDF

because he was exempt. This comports with the Board’s authority

in section 1009.98(3), Florida Statutes (2018), to transfer “an

amount not to exceed the redemption value of the advance

payment contract at a state postsecondary institution.”

“Redemption value” must necessarily mean the value of what

Snyder actually purchased, not additional fees under other

prepaid plan options that she did not.

Snyder’s interpretation of the 03/04 MC cannot stand because

it would contravene the express language of the contract

prohibiting the Board from distributing an amount exceeding

“current rates” at in-state institutions. Her interpretation would

also produce an absurd result because it would result in a higher

disbursement of funds to out-of-state students than in-state

students. Such a reading cannot stand. See Companion Prop. &

Cas. Ins. Co. v. Category 5 Mgmt. Grp., LLC, 189 So. 3d 905, 908

(Fla. 1st DCA 2016) (“A court must construe a contract in a manner

that accords with reason and probability and avoids an absurd

construction.”).

Snyder argues that even if this Court does not accept her

interpretation of the contract, it should reverse summary

judgment upon the finding that the 03/04 MC is, at least,

ambiguous. No ambiguity can be found where Snyder’s reading

would produce an absurd result. See CitiMortgage, Inc. v. Turner,

172 So. 3d 502, 504 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015) (“A contract is ambiguous

11

when it is susceptible to more than one reasonable interpretation,

but where one interpretation of a contract would be absurd and

another would be consistent with reason and probability, the

contract should be interpreted in the rational manner.” (internal

quotation and citation omitted)); Nabbie v. Orlando Outlet Owner,

LLC, 237 So. 3d 463, 466-67 (Fla. 5th DCA 2018) (recognizing a

true ambiguity only exists when it is susceptible to more than one

reasonable interpretation).

D. No Unconstitutional Impairment of Contract

Snyder asserts the Board’s arguments here diminish her

contractual rights to the “value” of the plan. Specifically, that the

purpose of these plans is to cover the “actual cost” of college, and

that her Tuition Plan now provides substantially less “value”

because the Board does not transfer the TDF to out-of-state

institutions. Having found the language of the 16/17 MC to be

unambiguous, Snyder’s position becomes one for an illusory

contract. However, on appeal Snyder explicitly clarified that “the

Court should not support any construction of the parties’

agreement, or the powers of the Board or legislature, which would

render [Snyder’s] stated contractual rights illusory.” Snyder does

not seek rescission of the contract nor repayment of the original

cost of the Tuition Plan.

To impair a preexisting contract, a law must “have the effect

of rewriting antecedent contracts” in a manner that “chang[es] the

substantive rights of the parties to existing contracts.” Manning v.

Travelers Ins. Co., 250 So. 2d 872, 874 (Fla. 1971). Here, Snyder

fails to address the criteria that courts must weigh to assess

whether a contract has been unlawfully impaired. See Searcy,

Denney, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley, Etc. v. State, 209 So. 3d

1181, 1192 (Fla. 2017) (explaining that an impairment-of-contract

claim requires a court to balance the nature and extent of the

impairment against the importance of the State’s objective and the

degree of intrusion into the bargain). She also fails to identify any

law that impairs any specific provision of the 16/17 MC. Her

argument is that the Board’s “construction” of the law impairs its

“essential commitment” to cover the cost of postsecondary

education. However, to establish this “essential commitment,”

Snyder points to minutes of meetings and a promotional flyer. This

12

is insufficient to state a colorable claim. See id. at 1190–91

(explaining that, “[t]o impair a preexisting contract, a law must

have the effect of rewriting antecedent contracts” (internal

quotation marks omitted)).

Courts are obligated to construe contracts in such a way as to

give reasonable meaning to all provisions of a contract, rather than

one which leaves part of the contract useless or inexplicable.

Aucilla Area Solid Waste Admin. v. Madison Cty., 890 So. 2d 415,

416 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004); Hardwick Properties, Inc. v. Newbern, 711

So. 2d 35, 40 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998) (citing Premier Ins. Co. v. Adams,

632 So. 2d 1054 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994)). Neither the 16/17 MC nor

Florida law has ever purported to cover in full the “actual cost” of

a postsecondary education, including each and every one of the

many fees the Legislature has authorized the universities to

charge. See § 1009.24(7)-(17), Fla. Stat. The explanation of

different fees, and authorization of various advance payment plans

and contracts that cover different costs, refutes Snyder’s claim that

the “intent” of university Tuition Plans is to cover all costs. “Value”

has as its foundation a reasonable basis of “cost.” Here, the TDF is

not part of the “actual cost” that Snyder’s son will ever pay. He is

exempt from the TDF and he will never be charged the TDF

whether he acquires his degree exclusively out-of-state or attends

school in Florida. As Snyder concedes, the 4-Year University

Tuition Plan she purchased is not an investment program. It is a

contract to fix or “lock-in” postsecondary institution rates at the

time of purchase. Snyder has received the value of the contract.

Conclusion

Based on the undisputed material facts, the trial court

correctly determined that Snyder failed to demonstrate that the

Board breached any provision of the tuition plan, that she suffered

any damages as a result, that the Board breached an implied

covenant or that a present controversy existed regarding

declaratory relief. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court’s order

granting final summary judgment in favor of the Board.

AFFIRMED.

JAY, J., concurs; WOLF, J., concurs in result only.

13

_____________________________

Not final until disposition of any timely and

authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or

9.331.

_____________________________

David J. Sales of David J. Sales, P.A., Sarasota; Daniel R. Hoffman

of David J. Sales, P.A., Sarasota; James W. Gustafson of Searcy,

Denney, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., Tallahassee; Edward

H. Zebersky and Jordan Shawn of Zebersky & Payne, LLP, Fort

Lauderdale, for Appellant.

Michael E. Riley, Jason L. Unger, Ashley Hoffman Lukis, and

Andy V. Bardos of GrayRobinson, P.A., Tallahassee; Jason A.

Zimmerman of GrayRobinson, P.A., Orlando, for Appellee.

14

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.