BRUCE JOHNSON, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 1986-10-06
No. BL-257
SMITH and ZEHMER, JJ., concur.
495 So. 2d 830 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1986)

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

Bruce Johnson appealed the denial of his post-conviction relief motion, challenging the trial court's sentencing order for three consecutive armed robbery sentences. The court held that the trial judge exceeded statutory authority by retaining jurisdiction over the first third of each consecutive sentence, rather than one-third of the total consecutive sentences as required by Florida law, and remanded for resentencing.


Holding

The trial court erred in retaining jurisdiction over the first third of each consecutive sentence. Under section 947.16(3), Florida Statutes (1981), when multiple felonies result in consecutive sentences, the trial court may retain jurisdiction only over one-third of the total sum of all consecutive sentences, not one-third of each individual sentence.


Headnotes

[1] A trial court errs by retaining jurisdiction over the first third of each consecutive prison sentence when the governing statute limits such retention to one-third of the…

[2] When a defendant is convicted of multiple felonies and receives consecutive sentences, the trial court's jurisdiction to retain for review is limited to one-third of the…

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Key Quotes

“when any person is convicted of two or more felonies and consecutive sentences are imposed, then the jurisdiction of the trial court judge as provided herein shall apply to one-third of the total consecutive sentences imposed.”

This is the controlling statutory language from section 947.16(3) that defines the scope of trial court jurisdiction over consecutive sentences and establishes the key distinction between one-third of the total versus one-third of each sentence.

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Facts & Procedural History

Johnson was convicted of three counts of armed robbery on July 2, 1981, and his conviction was affirmed on appeal. He was sentenced to consecutive pri…

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Opinion of the Court
SHIVERS, Judge.

SHIVERS, Judge.

This appeal comes before us by way of appellant, Bruce Johnson’s, motion for post-conviction relief. The trial court denied Johnson’s motion stating that “it affirmatively appears from a reading of the motion that ... [the post-conviction motion] is legally insufficient to. justify relief under Rule 3.850 — ” The issue in the instant case is whether the trial court incorrectly retained jurisdiction over the first third of each of Johnson’s consecutive prison sentences for armed robbery. We conclude that the trial court erred in retaining jurisdiction as it did, and remand Johnson’s sentencing order for resentencing.

Johnson asserts four grounds on which he bases his request for post-conviction relief. We find merit in only ground one of Johnson’s motion. Ground one submits that Johnson’s right to due process was violated because the trial court ordered retention of jurisdiction over the first third of each of the consecutive sentences he was to serve. Specifically, Johnson contends that the trial court could have properly retained jurisdiction over one-third of the sum of his three sentences for robbery, but that it was without authority to do so for the first third of each of his sentences.

Johnson was found guilty of three counts of armed robbery on July 2, 1981, and his conviction was affirmed on appeal. Johnson v. State, 427 So. 2d 781 (Fla. 1st DCA 1983). Johnson filed his motion for post- conviction relief on January 2, 1986. After his motion was denied, Johnson filed a motion for rehearing on February 4, 1986, which was also subsequently denied by the trial court. Johnson filed a timely appeal from the trial court’s denial of his motion for rehearing.

Johnson was sentenced in 1981, making the governing statute section 947.16(3), Florida Statutes (1981). Section 947.16(3), which specifies the manner in which the trial court may retain jurisdiction over a convicted party’s sentence, provides that “when any person is convicted of two or more felonies and consecutive sentences are imposed, then the jurisdiction of the trial court judge as provided herein shall apply to one-third of the total consecutive sentences imposed.” (emphasis added) Since Johnson’s sentences involved the conviction of more than two felonies (he was convicted of three counts of armed robbery) and because Johnson’s sentences were consecutive, the trial court judge’s jurisdiction was limited under section 947.-16(3), Florida Statutes to one-third of the sum of Johnson’s three sentences.

The decisions of other Florida courts are consistent with this conclusion. The Second District Court of Appeal in Adams v. State, 435 So. 2d 953 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983), reversed a defendant’s consecutive sentences for kidnapping and sexual battery and remanded the case with directions to reconsider the period of retention in accordance with section 947.16(3), Florida Statutes (1981) after observing:

[t]he trial court had the authority to retain jurisdiction to review any parole commission release order for one-third of the total consecutive sentences imposed, but not the first one-third of each of the consecutive sentences imposed.

435 So. 2d at 953 (citations omitted). In Brannin v. State, 476 So. 2d 245 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985), this court reached a similar result stating that “[t]he proper way to reserve jurisdiction over consecutive sentences is to enter an order reserving jurisdiction over one-half of the total [sentence]. ...” See also Dobbs v. State, 454 So. 2d 73 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984) (holding that trial court’s sentencing orders should be remanded for resentencing where the trial court had incorrectly retained jurisdiction over the first one-third of each of the defendant’s consecutive sentences). In sum, section 947.16(3), Florida Statutes (1981), and the courts which have construed that statute support our determination that the trial court erred in retaining jurisdiction over the first one-third of each of Johnson’s sentences. We therefore remand Johnson’s sentencing order for resentencing in a manner consistent with section 947.16(3), Florida Statutes (1981).

REMANDED.

SMITH and ZEHMER, JJ., concur.


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