CHARLES A. DAVIS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 1993-05-13
No. 92-2796
ALLEN and MICKLE, JJ., concur.
617 So. 2d 1139 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1993) 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

Charles Davis challenges his robbery sentences combining county jail time, community control, and probation as an illegal departure sentence without stated reasons. The Florida First District Court of Appeal reverses and remands for resentencing, finding the combined sanctions constitute a departure under sentencing guidelines and certifies a question of great public importance to the Florida Supreme Court regarding whether such combined sanctions are permissible.


Holding

The court holds that a combined sanction of county jail incarceration and community control constitutes a departure sentence under Oglesby v. State. Accordingly, the sentences are vacated and the case is remanded for resentencing. The court certifies to the Florida Supreme Court the question of whether such combined sanctions constitute a departure when the combined periods do not exceed the guideline maximum.


Headnotes

[1] A combined sentence of county jail incarceration and community control constitutes a departure sentence, even if the total period does not exceed the maximum incarceratio…

[2] A sentencing disposition that combines county jail incarceration with community control is a departure sentence, irrespective of whether the combined sanctions exceed the…

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Key Quotes

“when so provided by the guidelines, either community control or incarceration could be imposed, but not both”

Establishes the foundational rule from VanKooten that community control and incarceration are mutually exclusive under sentencing guidelines

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Facts & Procedural History

Davis was charged with two counts of armed robbery on September 22, 1991, allegedly using a belt buckle as a weapon. A jury found him guilty of the le…

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Opinion of the Court
JOANOS, Chief Judge.

JOANOS, Chief Judge.

Appellant challenges the sentences imposed upon his conviction of two counts of robbery. He contends the sentence, which includes both county jail time and community control followed by probation, constitutes an illegal departure sentence and that no reason for departure was provided. We reverse.

An information charged appellant with committing two counts of armed robbery on September 22, 1991; the weapon allegedly used in the robbery was a belt buckle. A jury found appellant guilty on both counts of the lesser offense of robbery. On Count I, the trial court imposed a sentence of one year in county jail, followed by one year of community control, to be followed by four years of probation. On Count II, the trial court imposed a probationary term of six years, to be served concurrently with the sentencing on Count I. On a “Category 3 — Robbery” score-sheet, appellant’s total score was 60 points, which equated to a recommended sentencing range of community control or 12 to 30 months incarceration, and a permitted sentencing range of any nonstate prison sanction or community control or one to 3-V2 years incarceration.

In State v. VanKooten, 522 So. 2d 830, 831 (Fla.1988), the supreme court ruled that, when so provided by the guidelines, either community control or incarceration could be imposed, but not both. In Ewing v. State, 526 So. 2d 1029 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988), this court construed the VanKooten proscription as applicable only where the combined sentences exceeded the maximum period of incarceration permitted under the guidelines. The court reasoned that a departure sentence does not result where the combined sanctions do not exceed the maximum guidelines incarcerative period.

A contra result was reached in Oglesby v. State, 584 So. 2d 93 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991), which, like the instant case, involved combined sanctions of county jail incarceration and community control. In Oglesby, this court held that a combined sanction of community control and incarceration in county jail constitutes a departure. The Oglesby majority recognized that in Tillman v. State, 555 So. 2d 940 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990), the fifth district held it was not a departure to require jail time as a condition of community control; distinguished Ewing on the ground that it involved a state prison sentence, whereas Oglesby involved a county jail sentence, which was not imposed as a condition of community control; and concluded that its decision in that case was controlled by VanKooten. In so holding, the majority opinion noted that the decision might produce an anomaly, in that Ewing permitted the greater sanction of state prison combined with community control, while the decision in Oglesby disapproved the less severe combined sanction of county jail and community control.

The instant case involves a county jail sentence followed by a period of community control. The combined total of the two sanctions does not exceed the maximum incarcerative term permitted by the guidelines. Since the sentence imposed was considerably less severe than the state prison sentence authorized by the guidelines, it appears somewhat peculiar to consider the combined sanctions to be a departure. Nevertheless, as the Oglesby panel observed, the Committee Notes to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.701(d)13 emphasize that community control is not an alternative for a “nonstate prison sanction.” 584 So. 2d at 94.

In short, we conclude the resolution of this case is controlled by this court’s decision in Oglesby. Because the guidelines distinction between the sanctions of community control and a nonstate prison sanction produce an anomalous result in both this case and in Oglesby, we certify the following as a question of great public importance:

DOES A SENTENCING DISPOSITION WHICH INCLUDES COMBINED SANCTIONS OF COUNTY JAIL INCARCERATION AND COMMUNITY CONTROL CONSTITUTE A DEPARTURE SENTENCE, WHEN THE COMBINED PERIODS OF INCARCERATION AND COMMUNITY CONTROL DO NOT EXCEED THE MAXIMUM PERIOD OF INCARCERATION PERMITTED BY THE GUIDELINES?

Accordingly, the challenged sentences are vacated, and this cause is remanded for resentencing, pursuant to Oglesby v. State, 584 So. 2d 93 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991).

ALLEN and MICKLE, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • State v. Davis, 630 So. 2d 1059 (Fla. 1994)
    …n, the court below observed: Since the sentence imposed was considerably less severe than the state prison sentence authorized by the guidelines, it appears somewhat peculiar to consider the combined sanctions to be a departure. Davis v. State, 617 So. 2d 1139, 1140 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993). I would uphold Davis’ sentence if it were not for the clear language of State v. Vankooten, 522 So. 2d 830 (Fla.1988), in which I did not participate.…
    1 / 2
  • Antrone Lamont Simmons v. State, 668 So. 2d 654 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996)
    …or 12-30 months’ incarceration. Because the trial court combined community control with a jail term and, therefore, imposed a departure sentence without giving written reasons, we are required to reverse and remand for resentencing. Davis v. State, 617 So. 2d 1139 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993), approved 630 So. 2d 1059 (Fla.1994). Appellant was also sentenced to two years of community control with a condition that he serve six months in county jail for the possession of marijuana conviction. Appellant argues that alth…
  • Peoples v. State, 635 So. 2d 72 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994)
    …by v. State, 584 So. 2d 93 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991). We agree that the resolution of this case is controlled by VanKooten and our decision in Oglesby, and therefore we vacate her sentences and remand the cause for re-sentencing. See also, Davis v. State, 617 So. 2d 1139 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993). However, as we did in Davis, we certify the following question as one of great public importance: DOES A SENTENCING DISPOSITION WHICH INCLUDES COMBINED SANCTIONS OF COUNTY JAIL INCARCERATION AND COMMUNITY CONTROL CONSTITUTE A…

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