§ 50-1. State misdemeanors.

(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person to commit, within the corporate limits of the city, any act which is or shall be recognized by the laws of the state as a misdemeanor, and the commission of such acts is forbidden.

(b)

Whosoever shall violate this section, upon conviction, shall be punished by the same penalties as is provided by the laws of the state, but in no case shall such penalty exceed a fine of $500.00 or imprisonment for more than 60 days, or both such fine and imprisonment.

(Code 1988, § 14-1)

State Law reference— See Fla. Stats. general index under heading "Crimes" for listing of state law misdemeanors.

Case Law reference— Adoption of state law relating to misdemeanors by city upheld, see McFarland v. Roberts, 74 So. 2d 88 (Fla. 1954); also Orr v. Quigg, 135 Fla. 653, 185 So. 726 and Wright v. Worth, 83 Fla. 204, 91 So. 87; adoption of state law misdemeanors by reference includes laws both in existence at the time and those later adopted by the state legislature, see State v. Smith, 189 So. 2d 846 (Fla. 4th D.C.A. 1966). Follows rule in Hecht v. Shaw, 112 Fla. 762, 151 So. 333 (1933) "… when the adopting statute makes no reference to any particular statute or part of statute by its title or otherwise, but refers to the law generally which governs a particular subject, the reference in such a case includes not only the law in force at the date of the adopting act, but also all subsequent laws on the particular subject referred to …."

(1)
A municipality may enact an ordinance which creates an offense against municipal law for the same act that constitutes an offense against state law. Jaramillo v. City of Homestead, 322 So. 2d 496 (Fla. 1975).

(2)
A municipality by ordinance may adopt state misdemeanor statutes by specific reference or by general reference, such as that contained in an ordinance making it unlawful to commit, within city limits, any act which is or shall be recognized by the laws of the state as a misdemeanor. Id.

(3)
An adoption by general reference of a misdemeanor statute permits subsequent amendments, revisions and repeals of the laws by the state legislature to apply to the municipal ordinances. Id.