DAN EARL WILLIAMS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1993-10-20
No. 92-01346
RYDER, A.C.J., and THREADGILL, J., concur.
629 So. 2d 174 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1993) Positive Treatment
Cited by 14 cases

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Synopsis

The appellate court affirmed a defendant's sentencing scheme for violating community control. The court clarified that while the defendant would receive credit for prior prison time if probation was revoked on new charges, the time spent on community control did not need to be credited towards a new probationary term.


Holding

1. The sentencing scheme is permissible, but the appellant is entitled to credit for prison time served on the first offense if probation is revoked on the second offense. 2. The probationary terms are legal and do not exceed statutory maximums because the trial court had the discretion to impose a new sentence upon revocation of community control.


Headnotes

[1] A sentencing arrangement where probation is imposed consecutive to a term of incarceration is permissible, but credit for time served on the incarceration must be awarded…

[2] Upon revocation of community control or probation, a court may impose any sentence it might have originally imposed.

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Key Quotes

“We construe this language to mean that the sentencing arrangement in this case was permissible, but if Williams subsequently has his probation in Case No. 91-680 revoked and he is thereafter ordered to serve time in prison, he then will be entitled to credit for the time he served in prison in Case No. 91-176.”

Establishes the condition under which credit for prior prison time will be awarded.

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Facts & Procedural History

Dan Earl Williams was sentenced for underlying felonies and then for new crimes that constituted a violation of his community control. The sentencing …

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Opinion of the Court
DANAHY, Judge.

DANAHY, Judge.

Dan Earl Williams appeals a sentencing scheme imposed upon a violation of community control. For the crimes underlying the community control (third degree felonies of burglary and criminal mischief, Circuit Court Case No. 91-176), the court imposed concurrent sentences of four years in prison followed by one year probation. The court then imposed three concurrent sentences of five years’ probation for the new substantive crimes which comprised the violation of community control (burglary of a dwelling, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property, Circuit Court Case No. 91-680).

These were to be served consecutively to the sentences in Case No. 91-176. Williams presents two arguments in opposition to this sentencing scheme: First that the entire scheme is structured to deny him credit for prison time served in the event of a violation of probation on the new charges (Case No. 91-680); and second that the probationary terms in Case No. 91-176 exceed the statutory maximum of five years for those crimes.

As to his first argument, we conclude that under Tripp v. State, 622 So. 2d 941 (Fla.1993) (revised opinion), which quashed our opinion in State v. Tripp, 591 So. 2d 1055 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991), Williams’ sentencing arrangement remains a viable sentencing option, but with a caveat, as we will explain. In Tripp, this court held that under a similar sentencing arrangement, defendant therein was not entitled to credit for time served for the first case upon revocation of probation for the second case but certified the propriety of the sentencing arrangement to the supreme court. 591 So. 2d at 1055-56.

On review, the supreme court in Tripp concluded that the sentencing arrangement was “inconsistent with the intent of the sentencing guidelines.” 622 So. 2d at 942. This language appears to disapprove of the sentencing arrangement that the trial court used in this case.

However, Tripp also stated, “We hold that if a trial court imposes a term of probation on one offense consecutive to a sentence of incarceration on another offense, credit for time served on the first offense must be awarded on the sentence imposed after revocation of probation on the second offense.” Id. at 942. We construe this language to mean that the sentencing arrangement in this case was permissible, but if Williams subsequently has his probation in Case No. 91-680 revoked and he is thereafter ordered to serve time in prison, he then will be entitled to credit for the time he served in prison in Case No. 91-176.

As to his second point, Williams argues that on the above-referenced violation of community control, the trial court illegally extended his sentence beyond the statutory maximum. Williams originally had received on the burglary count 100 days in county jail followed by eighteen months’ community control followed by three years’ probation, and on the criminal mischief count a consecutive term of five years’ probation. He violated his community control, and, as we have said, was sentenced to concurrent sentences of four years’ prison followed by one year probation.

Williams contends that under Servis v. State, 588 So. 2d 290 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991), the trial court illegally extended his sentence in Case No. 91-176 beyond the statutory maximum of five years for third-degree felonies. See also Summers v. State, 625 So. 2d 876 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993) (en banc). He claims that since he served about ten months on community control, his new probation must be correspondingly reduced. We disagree. Servis and Summers are distinguishable and do not support Williams’ argument.

Servis and Summers stand for the proposition that when further probation is ordered to be served upon a violation of probation, credit for time served on the previous probation must be credited toward the newly-imposed probation. In Case No. 91-176, the trial court did not impose further community control after Williams had violated community control. Had the court done this, the case would have been an analogous situation to Servís or Summers and which in that instance would have required corresponding credit. Rather, the court took the matter back to the drawing board, so to speak, and imposed four years’ prison followed by one year probation. This the court was entitled to do under section 948.06(1), Florida Statutes (1991), which provides that on revocation of community control or probation the court may impose any sentence it might originally have imposed before placing a defendant on community control. See Williams v. State, 581 So. 2d 144, 146 (Fla.1991).

See also Teasley v. State, 610 So. 2d 26 (Fla. 2d DCA 1992), review denied, 618 So. 2d 1370 (Fla.1993); Davis v. State, 604 So. 2d 844 (Fla. 2d DCA 1992).

Williams must receive 100 days credit toward the four-year prison sentence imposed but, since he had not previously served any time on probation, under Servís and Summers he is not entitled to a credit toward his newly-imposed probation. In the final analysis, Williams is seeking credit for the time he previously served on community control toward the new probationary term imposed.

We hold that the trial court has discretion to disallow such credit since just as community control is not the functional equivalent of jail time, Smith v. State, 615 So. 2d 712 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993), see also Chancey v. State, 614 So. 2d 18 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993), neither is it the functional equivalent of probationary time.

The trial court in ordering Williams to serve concurrent terms of four years in prison followed by one year probation in Case No. 91-176 imposed a legal sentence.

Affirmed.

RYDER, A.C.J., and THREADGILL, J., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Gardner v. State, 656 So. 2d 933 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995)
    …Bragg would result in credit being required for all time spent on community control as well. Finally, if a sentence of straight community control is given, then, by way of analogy to Summers, and as the Second District admitted in Williams v. State, 629 So. 2d 174, 176 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993), review denied, 642 So. 2d 748 (Fla.1994), credit must be given for all time previously served on community control, as well as prior prison and jail time. REVERSED and REMANDED for resen-tencing in accordance with this opin…
  • Roundtree v. State, 637 So. 2d 325 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994)
    …Fla. 4th DCA 1993); Ogden v. State, 605 So. 2d 155 (Fla. 5th DCA 1992). Additionally, we can discern no reason for not applying the same reasoning when combining time spent on community control with a subsequent probation. But see Williams v. State, 629 So. 2d 174 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993). We certify to the supreme court the issue previously certified in Summers and War-dell, as well as in other pending cases: MUST A TRIAL COURT, UPON REVOCATION OF PROBATION (AND/OR COMMUNITY CONTROL), CREDIT PRIOR TIME SERVED…
  • Mearns v. State, 779 So. 2d 282 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)
    …e after revoking Mearns’ probation the court was free to impose any sentence it may have originally imposed before placing him on probation. We affirm the denial of the motion to withdraw pleas. See § 948.06(1), Fla. Stat. (1987); Williams v. State, 629 So. 2d 174 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993). We remand, however, to correct an error in Mearns’ written sentence in circuit court case no. 94-927F. The trial court orally pronounced a sentence of sixty months’ imprisonment with credit for time served. The sentencing docum…

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