MICHAEL CHESNUT AND STEPHEN J. CALAMIA, APPELLANTS,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Appellants Chesnut and Calamia were convicted of possessing cannabis in excess of one hundred pounds. The Fourth District affirmed their conviction and sentence, holding that the warrantless search of their vessel was justified by consent and probable cause with exigent circumstances, and that the offense constitutes a second-degree felony under Florida law.
The warrantless search was justified based on consent and probable cause with exigent circumstances. The Court affirmed that possession of cannabis in excess of one hundred pounds is a second-degree felony, though recognizing a direct conflict with decisions by the First and Second Districts.
[1] A warrantless search of a vessel is permissible when consent to search is freely and voluntarily given.
[2] Probable cause to search a vessel exists when officers observe facts indicating the vessel is not being used for its stated purpose, rides unusually low in the water, has…
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Statement by one appellant in response to deputy's request to board the vessel, establishing consent to search.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceTwo Martin County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call from a charter boat captain and found appellants' vessel in tow at the Manatee Boat Dock. Upo…
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HERSEY, Judge.
This is an appeal from a conviction of possession of cannabis in excess of one hundred pounds. Four judicial acts are urged as error, two of which merit consideration.
In response to a call from a charter boat captain, two Martin County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Manatee Boat Dock. There they observed appellants’ vessel in tow behind the charter boat. A search of the vessel revealed in excess of one hundred pounds of cannabis in the cabin whereupon appellants were arrested and, in due course, tried, convicted and sentenced for a second degree felony.
Appellants moved to suppress the evidence resulting from the warrantless search, which motion was denied. We affirm that denial. While the facts are somewhat in dispute, there was credible testimony to the effect that, in response to one deputy’s request for permission to come aboard, one of the appellants replied: “Be my guest.” When the deputy had boarded the vessel and moved toward the cabin, one of the appellants made the statement: “You don’t have to look, it’s loaded.” Under these circumstances we find that there was consent to board and search the vessel. Even if no consent had been given, however, probable cause existed to search and exigent circumstances relieved the deputies from the requirement of obtaining a search warrant. Probable cause was established by the following facts: (1) the vessel ran out of fuel seventeen miles out at sea where appellants said they had been fishing — but the vessel was not rigged for fishing; (2) the bow of the boat rode low in the water whereas it is customary in this type of vessel for the bow to ride high and the stern low; (3) all of the cabin windows were covered with masking tape; (4) appellants were unable to produce the vessel’s registration papers; (5) during a rainstorm while the vessel was in tow appellants did not enter the cabin to avoid the rain; and, finally, (6) one of the deputies testified that he smelled marijuana as he was standing near the vessel.
Exigent circumstances consisted of the fact that this was a sea-going vessel, obviously mobile, and undergoing a refueling operation. While there was testimony from one witness that the charter boat may have maneuvered in such fashion that appellants’ vessel could only move forward toward the dock, it is clear that the charter boat captain had no authority whatsoever to block appellants’ escape once the vessel had been refueled.
For these reasons we hold that the war-rantless search was justified.
Appellants urge as additional error the sentence based upon a second degree felony, pointing out that mere possession of cannabis in excess of one hundred pounds is a felony of the third degree. At issue is the appropriate construction to be placed upon Section 893.13(l)(a)2, Florida Statutes (1977). Both the First and Second Districts have held that such an offense is a third degree felony. Beasley v. State, 382 So. 2d 47 (Fla.2d DCA 1980); Aylin v. State, 362 So. 2d 435 (Fla. 1st DCA 1978). However, we again hold, as we did in State v. Brady, 379 So. 2d 1294 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980) that is a felony of the second degree. In its opinion, the Beasley court certified the following question to the Supreme Court of Florida:
As Section 893.13 of the Florida Statutes read prior to the changes effected by 1979 legislation, was the unlawful possession, per se, of more than 100 pounds of cannabis a felony of the second or third degree?
Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that we are obligated to recognize this direct conflict in order that the Supreme Court, in the exercise of its conflicts jurisdiction, may review the case and resolve the conflict.
Having determined that appellants’ additional points on appeal are without merit, we affirm the conviction and sentence.
AFFIRMED.
DOWNEY, C. J., and ANSTEAD, J., concur.
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Chesnut v. State, 404 So. 2d 1064 (Fla. 1981)…PER CURIAM. By petition for certiorari, we have for review a decision by the District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (Chesnut v. State, 382 So. 2d 1349 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980)), which directly conflicts with decisions of the District Court of Appeal, First District (Aylin v. State, 362 So. 2d 435 (Fla. 1st DCA 1978)), and the District Court of Appeal, Second District (Beasley v. State, 382 So. 2d 47 (F…
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State v. Francoeur, 387 So. 2d 1063 (Fla. 5th DCA 1980)…rch of a commercial fishing boat. The court stated that “one’s reasonable expectation of privacy in an automobile or boat is less than that of a private dwelling and therefore is more open to legitimate governmental intrusion.” In Chestnut v. State, 382 So. 2d 1349 (Fla. 4th DCA Í980), the court upheld the search of a “seagoing vessel” under the “exigent circumstances” doctrine. We see no reason for applying an exception to the “automobile exception” rule under the facts of this case. Furthermore, we find tha…
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Parker v. State, 406 So. 2d 1089 (Fla. 1981)…nd the legislative intent thereof are both clear, and that mere possession of more than 100 pounds of cannabis is a second-degree felony. Respondent’s argument is supported by decisions from the Fourth District Court of Appeal. See Chesnut v. State, 382 So. 2d 1349 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980); and State v. Brady, 379 So. 2d 1294 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980). We agree with respondent’s contention that section 893.13, Florida Statutes (1977), clearly and unambiguously establishes that mere possession of over 100 pounds of canna…
Authorities Cited
- Aylin v. State, 362 So. 2d 435 (Fla. 1st DCA 1978)
- State v. Brady, 379 So. 2d 1294 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980)
- Beasley v. State, 382 So. 2d 47 (Fla. 2d DCA 1979)