JAMES CARTER, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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A defendant appeals a probation revocation based on an unauthorized move from Alabama to Florida. The court reversed the revocation, finding that the facts did not support a willful and substantial violation given the confusion between Florida and Alabama authorities over supervisory jurisdiction and the defendant's attempts to obtain approval for the move.
The court reversed the probation revocation, finding that the facts did not support a finding of willful and substantial violation of probation. The combination of jurisdictional confusion, the defendant's attempts to obtain approval from both Alabama and Florida, and the subsequent ratification of the move by the probation officer's supervisor constituted an abuse of discretion in revoking probation.
[1] A probation violation requires a willful and substantial violation of probation terms.
[2] Confusion between jurisdictions regarding probation supervision authority can negate a finding of willful violation.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Since this was the only allegation upon which the affidavit of violation was based, we are compelled to reverse.”
Establishes that reversal is required because the single violation alleged was not supported by the facts.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceDefendant's probation began in Florida but his probation officer gave him permission to move to Alabama to live with his brother. The interstate trans…
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PARIENTE, Judge.
Defendant appeals from an order revoking his probation. The facts, as presented by the state, do not support a finding that defendant willfully and substantially violated his probation by moving from his approved residence in Alabama without the permission of his Florida probation officer. Since this was the only allegation upon which the affidavit of violation was based, we are compelled to reverse. However, this reversal is without prejudice to the state’s refiling of an affidavit of violation on different grounds.
Defendant’s probation began in Florida, but his Florida probation officer, Michael Gainer, gave him permission to move to Alabama to live with his brother. Although defendant was told to report for probation in Alabama, the paperwork transferring his probation to Alabama had not been completed at the time of the move and Alabama had not officially accepted defendant as a probationer under the interstate parole and probation compact. See § 949.07, Fla.Stat. (1993). The state asserts that defendant’s probation officer continued to have both the authority and responsibility to supervise him in Alabama.
It is not entirely clear under the unique facts of this case whether, during the time defendant was in Alabama, he was under the supervision of Alabama or remained under the supervision of the Florida Department of Corrections as a practical, as well as a legal matter. In fact, there appears to have been confusion between the two jurisdictions as to which had responsibility for defendant’s supervision. This confusion is reflected in the testimony of Mr. Gainer who testified that defendant was violated because he did not inform Alabama that he was returning to Florida. In fact, defendant did inform the Alabama probation officer of his move and also attempted to contact Mr. Gainer before making the move.
Subsequent to returning to Florida, defendant succeeded in contacting Mr. Gainer and advised of his return. Mr. Gainer testified that he then “checked with my supervisor as to the procedure being Alabama hadn’t informed me that [defendant] was down here and my supervisor directed me to call [defendant] back, have him report in to transfer his probation back up to Silver Springs [Florida].” Because of a mixup at the switchboard of the trailer park where defendant was living, Mr. Gainer was unable to reach defendant by telephone. This inability to recontact defendant at the phone number provided led Mr. Gainer to file the affidavit of violation. But for the inability to reach defendant by telephone, apparently the probation would have been transferred and the affidavit of violation would not have been filed. Although defendant admittedly did not attempt to recontact Mr. Gainer, the affidavit alleged only a single violation concerning the unauthorized move from Alabama and not a reporting violation upon defendant’s return to Florida.
We do not consider an unauthorized move from one state to another to be a de minimus violation. Nor do we consider the fact that the move in this case was allegedly necessitated because defendant’s wife’s failing health required that she be brought back to Florida Would otherwise excuse an unauthorized move. However, here, the combination of the confusion as to whether Florida or Alabama had authority to approve the move back to Florida, defendant’s attempt to obtain approval both from Alabama and Florida prior to his move from Alabama and the subsequent ratification of the move by Mr. Gainer’s supervisor leads us to a conclude that the trial court abused its discretion by violating defendant’s probation on the basis of an unauthorized move from Alabama to Florida. See generally Steiner v. State, 604 So. 2d 1265, 1267 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992).
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
STONE and SHAHOOD, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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VAN Wagner v. State, 677 So. 2d 314 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996)…s to comply with the terms of probation, his or her failure to do so has been held not to be willful.”). See also Washington v. State, 667 So. 2d 255 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995) (finding no “willful and substantial” violation of probation); Carter v. State, 659 So. 2d 453 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995) (same); Green v. State, 620 So. 2d 1126 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993) (unemployed pro [*317] bationer unable to make restitution not guilty of willful violation); White v. State, 619 So. 2d 429, 431 (Fla. 1st DCA), review denied, 626 So. 2…
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Altman v. State (Fla. 3d DCA 2023)
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Altman v. State (Fla. 3d DCA 2023)…bation when he left for South Carolina. His probation officer advised him this was a violation and instructed him to return. Altman complied and returned the next day. Had this been Altman’s only violation, this matter might be like Carter v. State, 659 So. 2d 453 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995), the Fourth District decision on which Altman relies. See id. at 454 (noting the affidavit alleged only a single violation concerning the unauthorized move from Alabama and not a reporting violation upon defendant's return to Flo…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Steiner v. State, 604 So. 2d 1265 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992)