WILLIAM F. WHITLOCK, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 5th DCA | 1984-11-15
No. 84-264
FRANK D. UPCHURCH, Jr. and CO-WART, JJ., concur., SHARP, J., concurs in part; dissents in part, with opinion.
458 So. 2d 888 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (1984) Positive Treatment
Cited by 10 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

William Whitlock appeals his five-year prison sentence imposed after violating probation multiple times, arguing the trial court lacked clear and convincing reasons for departing upward from the guidelines and that the departure was excessive. The Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal affirms the sentence, holding that repeated probation violations justify the upward departure and that appellate courts lack jurisdiction to review the extent of a departure once clear and convincing reasons exist.


Holding

The trial court was justified in departing upward from the guideline sentence based on Whitlock's repeated probation violations. Once clear and convincing reasons for departure exist, appellate courts lack jurisdiction to review the extent of the departure so long as the sentence remains permissible under criminal statutes. The five-year sentence is affirmed.


Headnotes

[1] Repeated violations of probation conditions constitute clear and convincing reasons for a trial court to depart upwards from a presumptive guideline sentence.

[2] Appellate courts lack jurisdiction to review the extent of a departure from sentencing guidelines once clear and convincing reasons for the departure exist, provided the…

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Key Quotes

“Defendant has had the benefit of probation several times, Probation and Restitution Center twice, and the State Prison once. He will not comply with the conditions of probation and the Court has exhausted the available county jail time.”

Trial court's written reasons for departing upward from guideline sentence, establishing pattern of non-compliance justifying departure

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Facts & Procedural History

Whitlock was convicted by jury of criminal mischief with damages over $11,000 and placed on probation for five years on March 30, 1979. His probation …

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Whitlock appeals from his sentence on the grounds that there are no clear and convincing reasons for the trial court’s departure, Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(ll), and that the trial court’s departure from the recommended sentence was excessive. We affirm.

Appellant was convicted by a jury of criminal mischief with damages over $11,-000.00.1 On March 30, 1979, he was placed on probation for five years for that offense.

His probation was revoked on November 16, 1979 for the first time because of arrests on forgery charges committed in Putnam County. The judge revoked Whit-lock’s probation and then reinstated it, adding a condition that he serve six months in the county jail.

While still on probation for the first crime, his probation was revoked a second time on October 21, 1982 because he failed to keep appointments with his probation officer and he was arrested for petit theft.2 His probation was modified and he was sent to the Probation and Restitution Center and ordered to engage in an educational program. However, on January 6, 1984, Whitlock admitted violating his probation a third time by absconding from the Probation and Restitution Center. The trial judge also found Whitlock failed to pay for his room and board as required by the Center’s rules.

Under the Guidelines, Whitlock’s presumptive sentence was any non-state prison sanction. However, the trial judge departed from that sentence and imposed a. five year prison term. This was an upward departure of four cells beyond the pre sumptive sentence.3 The trial judge stated in writing his reasons for departing:

Defendant has had the benefit of probation several times, Probation and Restitution Center twice, and the State Prison once. He will not comply with the conditions of probation and the Court has exhausted the available county jail time.

We think the trial court was justified in departing upwards from the presumptive guideline sentence because Whitlock repeatedly violated the conditions of his probation. Gordon v. State, 454 So. 2d 657 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); Neely v. State, 453 So. 2d 129 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); Carter v. State, 452 So. 2d 953 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984).

Once there exists clear and convincing reasons to depart from the guidelines, we do not think the appellate courts have jurisdiction to review the extent of the departure, so long as the length of the sentence is one permissible under the criminal statutes.4 Since Whitlock’s crime for which he was convicted carries a maximum sentence of five years, we must affirm. Further, Whitlock does not argue he has not been given sufficient credit for time served in prison.

Accordingly, his sentence is

AFFIRMED.

FRANK D. UPCHURCH, Jr. and CO-WART, JJ., concur. SHARP, J., concurs in part; dissents in part, with opinion.

. § 806.13, Fla.Stat. (1983).

. § 812.014, Fla.Stat. (1983).

. The total point range required for such sentences is from 107 to 120. Whitlock’s points totaled 34.

. Albritton v. State, 458 So. 2d 320 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984).

Other
SHARP, Judge,

SHARP, Judge,

concurring in part; dissenting in part.

I agree there existed clear and convincing reasons for the trial court’s departure from the guideline sentence. Carter v. State, 452 So. 2d 953 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984). However, I disagree that we have no further duty to review the extent of the departure. Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701(b)(3) provides that “the penalty imposed should be commensurate with the severity of the convicted offense and the circumstances surrounding the offense.”

The extent of the departure is a matter primarily reserved to the discretion of the trial judge.1 However, if the exercise of that discretion is not reviewable in any case, unwarranted disparity in sentencing — the elimination of which was a paramount goal of the Guidelines2 — will not be served. See State v. Schantzen, 308 N.W. 2d 484, 485 (Minn.1981); State v. Roth, 95 N.J. 334, 471 A. 2d 370 (N.J.1984).

In this case, the violation of probation which resulted in the imposition of the appealed sentence was relatively technical in nature. It did not involve the commission of a new criminal offense. Further, there were no other aggravating factors relied upon by the trial court in departing from the guideline sentence. The judge mentioned Whitlock’s prior record, but that factor had already been appropriately “scored” on his sentencing sheet,3 and I do not think it should be used as a basis for departing, despite this court’s decisions to the contrary. Albritton v. State, 458 So. 2d 320 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); Higgs v. State, 455 So. 2d 451 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); Hendrix v. State, 455 So. 2d 449 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984). Cf. Carney v. State, 458 So. 2d 13 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984). Therefore, I think that a departure four cells beyond the presumptive sentence to the maximum possible sentence allowed by law, was excessive, and I would remand for resentencing.

. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(b)(6).

. Rule 3.701(b).

. He was "scored” thirteen points for his two prior third degree felonies.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Johnson v. State, 462 So. 2d 49 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984)
    …rther limitation of the trial court’s sentencing discretion is imposed by either statute or rule, and we therefore- decline to otherwise review the extent of a permissible departure from the presumptive guideline sentence. Accord, Whitlock v. State, 458 So. 2d 888 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); Hanky v. State, 458 So. 2d 1143 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); cf., Swain v. State, 455 So. 2d 533 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984). Although the court did indicate a permissible basis for departing from the presumptive guideline sentence, such reaso…
  • Harris v. State, 465 So. 2d 545 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985)
    …onvincing reasons exist to depart are stated and so long as the sentence imposed is within statutory limits, the appellate courts will not disturb the trial court’s discretion. Hankey v. State, 458 So. 2d 1143 (Fla. 5th DCA 1948), Whitlock v. State, 458 So. 2d 888 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984). However, since the trial court failed to reduce his reasons in writing, we vacate [*546] and remand for resentencing consistent with this court’s holding in Jackson v. State, 454 So. 2d 691 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984); Roux v. State, 4…
  • Adams v. State, 474 So. 2d 908 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985)
    …PER CURIAM. AFFIRMED on the authority of Whitlock v. State, 458 So. 2d 888 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); Albritton v. State, 458 So. 2d 320 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984). DAUKSCH, FRANK D. UPCHURCH, Jr. and SHARP, JJ., concur.…

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