Jackson-Shaw Company filed a federal lawsuit challenging a lease agreement between another private company and the Jacksonville Aviation Authority involving 328 acres of undeveloped land owned by the JAA. The lawsuit argued that the agreement violated the state constitution, which bans Florida governments from becoming joint owners with private companies or from pledging their credit to help private companies. The JAA argued that the development agreement was just a long-term lease and did not violate the state constitution. The federal trial court ruled the state constitution was not violated. On appeal, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that before the case could be decided, this Court would have to settle the dispute over the scope of the state constitutional provision.