STATE OF FLORIDA, PETITIONER,
v.
MICHAEL DONALDSON, RESPONDENT

Fla. | 1991-05-09
No. 76129
SHAW, C.J., and OVERTON, BARKETT, GRIMES, KOGAN and HARDING, JJ., concur.
579 So. 2d 728 Florida Supreme Court (1991) Negative Treatment
Cited by 44 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

The Florida Supreme Court holds that in DUI prosecutions under section 316.193, the state must present probative evidence that a breathalyzer machine was properly calibrated, tested, and inspected according to HRS regulations, and that the test was performed by a qualified technician using approved methods. Minor deviations from regulatory procedures will not bar admission if evidence supports the machine's accuracy.


Holding

The state must present probative evidence that: (1) the breathalyzer test was performed substantially in accordance with HRS-approved methods by a qualified person, and (2) the machine was calibrated, tested, and inspected according to HRS regulations to assure accuracy. Evidence of machine reliability may be presented by the person conducting testing and inspection or by production of business records of periodic testing.


Headnotes

[1] To admit breathalyzer test results in a prosecution for driving under the influence, the state must present evidence that the test was performed substantially in accordan…

[2] Evidence of a breathalyzer machine's reliability can be established through the testimony of the person who conducted its testing and inspection, or by producing business…

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Key Quotes

“test results obtained under subsection 322.262(2), Florida Statutes (1979), are admissible into evidence only upon compliance with the statutory provisions and the administrative rules enacted by the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS)”

Establishes the foundational requirement for admissibility of breathalyzer results

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Facts & Procedural History

Donaldson was arrested for driving under the influence and taken to a BATmobile where a breathalyzer test was performed. The state presented evidence …

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Opinion of the Court
McDonald, justice.

McDonald, justice.

We review Donaldson v. State, 561 So. 2d 648, 651 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990), in which the district court certified the following question to be of great public importance:

In a section 316.193 prosecution, where the state seeks, over defense objection, to admit the results of a breathalyzer test into evidence, to what extent must the state lay a foundation to show compliance with statutory provisions, administrative rules, and agency procedures governing the licensing of technicians, the maintenance of equipment, and the administration of tests?

We have jurisdiction, article V, section 3(b)(4), Florida Constitution, and approve the decision under review.

After his arrest for driving while under the influence of intoxicants, Donaldson was taken to a “BATmobile” where a breathalyzer test was performed. The state presented evidence of the qualifications of the breathalyzer tester and that the test was properly conducted. Misconstruing Ridgeway v. State, 514 So. 2d 418 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987), and believing it unnecessary to do so, the state failed to produce any evidence concerning the testing, inspection, or reliability of the machine.1 Because there was no evidence concerning the breathalyzer machine, the district court quashed the order of the circuit court affirming the county court conviction.

In State v. Bender, 382 So. 2d 697 (Fla.1980), we stated that test results obtained under subsection 322.262(2), Florida Statutes (1979), are admissible into evidence only upon compliance with the statutory provisions and the administrative rules enacted by the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS). Thus, we agree with the district court that there must be probative evidence (1) that a breathalyzer test was performed substantially in accordance with methods approved by HRS, and with a type of machine approved by HRS, by a person trained and qualified to conduct it and (2) that the machine itself has been calibrated, tested, and inspected in accordance with HRS regulations to assure its accuracy before the results of a breathalyzer test may be introduced. Evidence of the reliability of the machine can be presented by the person conducting its testing and inspection or, if records of use and periodic testing are kept in the regular course of business, by production of such records.

Minor deviations in compliance with the HRS regulations, such as storage location or absolute timeliness of periodic inspection, will not prohibit the test results being presented,- provided that there is evidence from which the fact finder can conclude that the machine itself remained accurate.2 Accord § 316.1932(l)(b)(l), Fla. Stat. (1987) (“Any insubstantial differences between approved techniques and actual testing procedures in any individual case shall not render the test or test results invalid.”); § 316.1934(3), Fla.Stat. (same). After the state presents its evidence, a defendant may, in any proceeding, attack the reliability of the testing procedures and the qualifications of the operator. Bender. A defendant also may question compliance with HRS regulations and the effect on the machine’s integrity of failing to follow them strictly.

Because the state presented no testimony on the reliability or integrity of the machine used, the district court correctly quashed the circuit court’s decision. We answer the question as set out above and approve the district court’s decision.

It is so ordered. SHAW, C.J., and OVERTON, BARKETT, GRIMES, KOGAN and HARDING, JJ., concur. . The machine used to perform the test was one type of breath-testing instrument approved by the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS).

. We would agree with the dissent in State v. Wills, 359 So. 2d 566 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978).


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By (22 total)

  • Robertson v. State, 604 So. 2d 783 (Fla. 1992)
    …se, 450 So. 2d 861 (Fla. 3d DCA), review denied, 451 So. 2d 850 (Fla.1984). Similarly, such evidence has been suppressed where testing equipment was not properly maintained or stored. Donaldson v. State, 561 So. 2d 648 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990), approved, 579 So. 2d 728 (Fla.1991); State v. Wills, 359 So. 2d 566 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978). Clearly, the use of unauthorized persons to draw blood and the use of improperly maintained equipment could threaten the health of test subjects. Thus, on this basis, the exclusionary ru…
  • Dep't of Hwy. Safety & Motor Vehicles v. Alliston, 813 So. 2d 141 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002)
    …ted by the circuit court as the basis for its ruling. . We note that our decision here is specifically predicated on the fact that this involves an administrative hearing to suspend a license, not a criminal prosecution. Compare State v. Donaldson, 579 So. 2d 728 (Fla.1991) (addressing what foundation must be laid by state to admit into evidence breath test results in a criminal prosecution). . There are four other cases pending before this court on this same issue from the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Hi…
  • Belvin v. State, 922 So. 2d 1046 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006)
    …sults, the state must present evidence that the test was performed substantially in accordance with approved methods, by a person trained and qualified to conduct it, on an approved machine that has been tested and inspected. See State v. Donaldson, 579 So. 2d 728 (Fla.1991). To simplify the state’s burden in presenting this evidence, the legislature passed laws allowing the state to introduce at trial an affidavit containing the necessary evidentiary foundation for breath test results. See §§ 316.1934(5); 90…

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