STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
JUAN NAVEIRA, APPELLEE
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The state appealed a trial court order discharging a defendant for violation of Florida's speedy trial rule after the state delayed filing an information and responding to discovery demands, forcing the defendant to request a continuance. The appellate court affirmed the discharge, holding that the trial court properly charged the continuance to the state under controlling precedent.
The trial court did not err in granting the discharge. Controlling precedent establishes that a defendant is entitled to discharge where the state's delay in filing charges or amending charges forces the defendant to choose between the right to speedy trial and the right to conduct discovery, leaving insufficient time to prepare for trial.
[1] A defendant does not waive the right to raise an alternative ground for discharge on remand if the trial court had not previously addressed that ground.
[2] A 90-day extension to the speedy trial period following an appeal does not apply if the trial court grants a motion for discharge.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“a defendant may not be forced to choose between the right to a speedy trial and the right to conduct discovery”
Establishes the core principle that the state's delay in filing charges and responding to discovery cannot force a defendant to waive either right
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceNaveira was arrested for two felonies. On the 175th day after arrest, the state filed an information charging one felony and responded to a discovery …
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PER CURIAM.
In this criminal appeal, the state seeks review of an order granting appellee’s motion for discharge pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.191 (the “speedy trial” rule). Because we conclude that controlling precedent in this District establishes that the trial court did not err in charging the trial continuance to the state and granting the motion, we affirm.
Appellee was arrested for allegedly having committed two felonies. On the 175th day following appellee’s arrest, the state filed an information charging one felony, and responded to a previously filed discovery demand. Appellee filed a motion arguing that he was entitled to discharge pursuant to rule 3.191 on either of two alternative grounds.
The trial court granted the motion on one ground, without addressing the other. The state appealed, and this court reversed. State v. Naveira, 768 So. 2d 1254 (Fla. 1st DCA 2000). On remand, appellee argued that he was entitled to discharge on the alternative ground not previously addressed by the trial court. Following a hearing, the trial court concluded that appellee was entitled to discharge because he had been forced to request a continuance as the result of the state’s delay in filing the information and responding to the discovery demand and, therefore, the continuance should be charged to the state. This appeal follows.
The state argues that appellee waived his right to rely on remand on the alternative ground for discharge because he failed to raise that ground as an alternative basis for affirmance in the first appeal. Alternatively, it argues that the issue became moot following the first appeal because of rule 3.191(m), which extends the time within which a defendant must be brought to trial by 90 days following an appeal.
We disagree. We are satisfied that the panel deciding the first appeal intended to permit the alternative ground for discharge to be considered on remand because the trial court had not previously addressed it.
Therefore, appel-lee did not waive his right to raise that issue on remand, and the 90-day extension afforded by rule 3.191(m) would not come into play unless the trial court denied the motion for discharge.
On the merits, the trial court granted appellee’s motion for continuance, finding that, because of the state’s delay in filing the information and responding to the discovery demand, appellee could not be ready for trial within the recapture period afforded by rule 3.191(p).
The trial court further found that the continuance should be charged to the state and, accordingly, granted the motion for discharge. Controlling precedent in this District establishes that the trial court did not err in charging the continuance to the state and discharging appellee. See State ex rel. Wright v. Yawn, 320 So. 2d 880 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975) (holding that the defendant was entitled to discharge where the state did not file an indictment until 142 days had passed since the defendant’s arrest and the defendant could not adequately prepare for trial in the time remaining under the speedy trial rule on the ground that a defendant may not be forced to choose between the right to a speedy trial and the right to conduct discovery); Mulryan v. Judge, Division “C” Circuit Court of Okaloosa County, 350 So. 2d 784 (Fla. 1st DCA 1977) (relying on Wright, and holding that the defendant was entitled to discharge where the state filed an amended information substantively changing the charges 12 days before the expiration of the speedy trial period and the defendant could not adequately prepare for trial in the time remaining pursuant to the rule).
While these cases were decided before major amendments to the speedy trial rule, the amendments do not appear to affect the applicability of the principle for which the cases stand.
Accordingly, we affirm. In doing so, we note apparent conflict with State v. Fraser, 426 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982).
AFFIRMED.
WEBSTER and BROWNING, JJ., concur; WOLF, J., concurs with written opinion.
WOLF, J.,
concurring.
I agree that controlling precedent from this district requires affirmance. Absent prior precedent, I would advocate for a position which would weigh the state’s reason for a delay in filing charges against any prejudice to the defendant in determining whether to grant a motion to discharge. The supreme court should consider this criteria in resolving conflict between our case and State v. Fraser, 426 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982).
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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State v. Naveira, 873 So. 2d 300 (Fla. 2004)…e trial court properly discharged the defendant because he had been forced to request a continuance as the result of the State’s delay in filing the information, and thus was not brought to trial within the speedy trial period. See State v. Naveira, 807 So. 2d 766, 767 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002) (Naveira II). Its holding expressly and directly conflicts with State v. Fraser, 426 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982), which held that the defendant was not entitled to discharge where he requested a continuance. We accepted ju…1 / 2
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State v. Gilliam, 884 So. 2d 128 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004)…ed Naveira’s subsequent motion for discharge. The First District affirmed the trial court, holding that the State’s tardy filings, although -within the 175-day speedy trial period, had forced the defendant to request a continuance. State v. Naveira, 807 So. 2d 766, 767 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002). In reversing, the supreme court noted two critical facts: the defendant was not ready for trial within the time period he triggered by filing his notice of expiration of speedy trial, and he had requested a continuance. Bas…
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Nelson v. State, 993 So. 2d 1072 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008)…rt granted the motion for continuance and charged it to the state. Later it granted Naveira’s motion for discharge under the speedy trial rule. The case was appealed twice. See State v. Naveira, 768 So. 2d 1254 (Fla. 1st DCA 2000); State v. Naveira, 807 So. 2d 766 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002). In the second appeal, the First District upheld the discharge under the speedy trial rule. In its opinion, the supreme court quashed the opinion of the First District upholding the defendant’s discharge. State v. Naveira, 873 S…
Authorities Cited
- State of Fla. ex rel. Robert Clark v. Theron A. Yawn, Jr., 320 So. 2d 880 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975)
- State v. Fraser, 426 So. 2d 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982)
- Mulryan v. Judge, Div. "C" Cir. Court OF Okaloosa Cnty., Fla., 350 So. 2d 784 (Fla. 1st DCA 1977)
- State v. Naveira, 768 So. 2d 1254 (Fla. 1st DCA 2000)