Franklin W. Briggs - Page 4




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          for our consideration is set forth below with separate                      
          background and discussion.                                                  
                              General Background                                      
               The parties have stipulated some of the facts.  When the               
          petitions were filed, Briggs resided in Alford, Florida, and the            
          Morrises were married and resided in Panama City, Florida.                  
               In 1982, Briggs and the Morrises started a multi-million-              
          dollar real estate construction business known as the Towers                
          Group.  The Towers Group ultimately comprised nine corporations,            
          with activities ranging from real estate management to town                 
          house construction and sales.  Two of the Towers Group                      
          corporations were:  (1) Towers Construction Co. of Panama City,             
          Inc. (Towers Construction), which was in the construction                   
          business and eventually constructed town house units in a Panama            
          City Beach, Florida, project known as the Gulf Highlands Beach              
          Resort (Gulf Highlands); and (2) Towers Development Co. of                  
          Panama City, Inc. (Towers Development), which was in the                    
          development business and eventually developed the Gulf Highlands            
          project.                                                                    
               For the years in issue, Sandra Morris (Mrs. Morris) and                
          Briggs each owned 50 percent of the stock of Towers Construction            
          and Towers Development.2  Briggs was president of Towers                    
          Construction and Towers Development for the years in issue.                 


               2 Mr. Morris was not a shareholder of any of the                       
          corporations in the Towers Group, having placed all his interests           
          in his wife’s name to avoid his creditors.                                  



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