DONALD E. HURST, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 5th DCA | 1985-06-27
No. 84-1575
COBB, C.J., and DAUKSCH, J., concur.
474 So. 2d 280 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (1985) Negative Treatment
Cited by 6 cases

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Synopsis

Donald Hurst appeals his sentences for two burglaries and one grand theft, arguing that the trial court improperly applied the sentencing guidelines. The court agrees that the sentences violate the original committee note to the sentencing guidelines rule that was in effect when the crimes were committed, and vacates the sentences for resentencing.


Holding

The sentences are improper because they were valid under the amended committee note to rule 3.701(d)(12) effective July 1, 1984, but violated the original committee note in effect when the crimes were committed in February 1984. The amended note, being harsher, cannot be applied retroactively. Accordingly, the sentences for the two burglaries are vacated and the case is remanded for resentencing.


Headnotes

[1] A committee note to a rule of criminal procedure governing sentencing guidelines, in effect at the time of the commission of the crimes, must be applied, rather than a su…

[2] A split sentence, defined as a combination of state prison and probation supervision, imposed under the sentencing guidelines, must have an incarcerative portion that doe…

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Key Quotes

“Since application of the current committee note results in a harsher punishment than the original one, we do not think it can be applied retroactively.”

The court's principal reasoning for why the amended sentencing guideline cannot be retroactively applied to crimes committed before the amendment's effective date.

Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.

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Facts & Procedural History

Hurst was sentenced to concurrent sentences: 3½ years incarceration plus 10 years probation for burglary (Case 84-1076), 3½ years incarceration for gr…

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Opinion of the Court
SHARP, Judge.

SHARP, Judge.

Hurst appeals from his sentences received for two counts of burglary and one count of grand theft. He argues that his burglary sentences are improper under the Guidelines, pursuant to the committee note to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701(d)(12) in effect at the time the crimes were committed. We agree.

In this ease the trial court imposed the following concurrent1 sentences on the defendant:

1. Burglary2 — 3½ years incarceration, followed by a period of ten years probation.

2. Grand theft second degree — 3V2 years incarceration.

3. Burglary3 — 3V2 years incarceration followed by a period of 10 years probation.

The applicable guidelines scoresheet totaled 73 points, which corresponds to a presumptive sentence of two and one-half to three and one-half years. The trial court did not purport to impose a sentence departing from the presumptive sentence range under the Guidelines. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(ll).

Both parties concede that at least two of the sentences4 imposed in this case fit the definition of a “split sentence” found in the committee note to rule 3.701(d)(12), “[A] combination of state prison and probation supervision.” The current committee note provides that when such a sentence is imposed, “[T]he incarcerative portion imposed shall not be less than the minimum of the guideline range nor exceed the maximum of the range. The total sanction (incarceration and probation) shall not exceed the term provided by law.” Committee Note, Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(12) (Emphasis supplied).

However, this amended committee note became effective on July 1, 1984. Ch. 84-328, Laws of Fla.; § 921.001(4)(b), Fla. Stat. (1983); see also The Florida Bar Amendment to Rules of Criminal Procedure (3.701-3.988 — Sentencing Guidelines), 451 So. 2d 824 (Fla.1984). The original committee note provided, in pertinent part, “If a split sentence is imposed ... the incarcerative portion imposed shall not be less than the minimum of the guideline range, and the total sanction imposed can not exceed the maximum guideline range.’ Thus, although the sentences received in this case were valid under the current guidelines,5 they were not proper under the original committee note, which was in effect when the crimes were committed in February 1984.

Since application of the current committee note results in a harsher punishment than the original one, we do not think it can be applied retroactively. Joyce v. State, 466 So. 2d 433 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985); Carter v. State, 452 So. 2d 953 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984); U.S. CONST. art. I § 9, CL. 3; Art. I, § 10, Fla. Const. Accordingly, we vacate the sentences imposed for the two burglaries involved in this case, and remand for resentencing on all three counts in order for the trial court to have an opportunity to properly apportion the guideline sentence among the three counts. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(12).

SENTENCES VACATED; REMANDED.

COBB, C.J., and DAUKSCH, J., concur. . § 921.161, Fla. Stat. (1983).

. Case No. 84-1076.

. Case No. 84-4044.

.We need not address the issue of whether the combination of all three sentences could constitute a "split sentence.”

. Section 810.02(3), Florida Statutes (1983) states that a burglary where the perpetrator did not make an assault or battery or was armed is a second degree felony. Section 775.082(3)(c), Florida Statutes (1983) provides that a second degree felony shall be punished by a term of imprisonment not exceeding fifteen years.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Patterson v. State, 486 So. 2d 74 (Fla. 4th DCA 1986)
    …the total sanction of which exceeded the maximum guideline range. See Committee Note to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701(d)(12); Tisdale v. State, 475 So. 2d 1331 (Fla. 5th DCA), review granted, No. 67,787 (Fla. Feb. 6,1986); Hurst v. State, 474 So. 2d 280 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985). Here, the total sanction of ten years (seven years of prison followed by three years of probation) exceeded the seven-year maximum recommended guidelines sentence. The trial court erred when it departed from the recommended gui…
  • Tisdale v. State, 475 So. 2d 1331 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985)
    …1,1984, an amendment to the rule took effect which permits the imposition of a total sanction not exceeding the term provided by law. Although the amended rule was in effect at time of sentencing, it cannot be applied retroactively. Hurst v. State, 474 So. 2d 280 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985); Joyce v. State, 466 So. 2d 433 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985). This was not a departure sentence, so we must vacate the sentence and remand to the trial court with directions to strike the term of [*1332] probation unless a valid reason fo…
  • State v. Hurst, 487 So. 2d 1069 (Fla. 1986)
    …PER CURIAM. We review Hurst v. State, 474 So. 2d 280 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985), because of express conflict with State v. Jackson, 478 So. 2d 1054 (Fla.1985). We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(3), Fla.Const. The district court ruled that the trial judge erred by applying the committee notes to the sent…

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