§ 1-2. Rules of construction.
In the construction of this Code and of all ordinances, the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the city commission:
Charter means the city charter.
Circuit court means the Circuit Court of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.
City means the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
City commission, commission means the city commission of the city.
Code means the Code of Ordinances of the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as amended.
Community service means a form of community supervision requiring specified contacts with the city's community service work program, wherein a defendant is required to participate and perform community service work for the city, under the direction of the city's community service work program administrator.
Computation of time. In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by ordinance, the day of the act, event or default from which the designated period of time begins to run shall not be included. The last day of the period so computed shall be included unless it is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, in which event the period shall run until the end of the next day which is neither a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. When the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than seven (7) days, intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays shall be excluded in the computation.
State Law reference— Similar provisions, RCP 1.090(a).
County means Broward County, Florida.
County court means the county court of the county.
Delegation of authority. A provision requiring or authorizing a city officer or employee to do some act or perform some duty authorizes the officer or employee to designate, delegate and authorize subordinates to perform the act or duty.
Gender. A word importing the masculine gender only also applies to females and to firms, partnerships and corporations.
Include, including or any other similar term of inclusion means without limitation or restriction.
Joint authority. All words giving a joint authority to three (3) or more persons or officers are to be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such persons or officers.
Keeper, proprietor includes persons, firms, associations, corporations and clubs and copartnerships, whether acting by themselves or by a servant, agent or employee.
May is to be construed as being permissive and not as being mandatory.
May not has a prohibitory effect and states a prohibition.
Must is to be construed as being mandatory and not as being permissive.
Nontechnical and technical words. Words and phrases shall be construed according to the common and approved usage of the language; technical words and phrases and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in law shall be construed and understood according to such meaning.
Number. A word importing the singular number only may apply to several persons and things as well as to one (1) person and thing.
Oath includes an affirmation in all cases in which, by law, an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in such cases the words "swear" and "sworn" are equivalent to the words "affirm" and "affirmed."
Or, and. "Or" may be read "and" if the sense requires it. "And" may be read "or" if the sense requires it.
Other city officials or officers. Whenever reference is made to officials, boards, commissions, departments, etc., by title only, i.e., "city clerk," "chief of police," etc., the reference is to the officials, boards, commissions and departments of the city.
Owner, as applied to a building or land, includes any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant, or tenant by the entirety of the whole or of a part of such building or land.
Person includes associations, clubs, societies, firms, partnerships and bodies politic and corporate as well as individuals.
Personal property includes every species of property except real property.
Preceding, following mean next before and next after, respectively.
Property includes real and personal property.
Public place means any public road, street, alley, canal or beach; also any tavern, store, grocery, workshop, bus, or any place to which people commonly resort for purpose of business, recreation or amusement, or any other place to which the public is invited through acquiescence.
Real property includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
Residence means the place adopted by a person as his place of habitation, and to which, whenever he is absent, he has the intention of returning. When a person eats at one place and sleeps at another, the place where such person sleeps is his residence.
Shall is to be construed as being mandatory and not as being permissive.
Sidewalk means any portion of a street between the curbline and the adjacent property line intended for the use of pedestrians, excluding parkways.
Signature or subscription may include a mark when the person cannot write, his name being written near it, and being witnessed by a person who writes his own name as a witness.
State means the State of Florida.
Street includes streets, avenues, boulevards, roads, alleys, lanes, viaducts and all other public highways in the city.
Tenant or occupant, as applied to a building or land, includes any person holding a written or oral lease of or who occupies the whole or a part of such building or land, either alone or with others.
Tense. Words used in the past or present tense include the future as well as the past and present.
Week means seven (7) days.
Written or in writing includes any representation of words, letters or figures, whether by printing or otherwise.
Year means a calendar year.
(Code 1953, § 1-2; Ord. No. C-1979, § 1, 11-19-63; Ord. No. C-96-53, § 1, 9-17-96)