FRANK PLUTE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 2003-01-24
No. 2D01-267
WHATLEY and CASANUEVA, JJ., Concur.
835 So. 2d 368 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (2003) Caution
Cited by 16 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

Frank Plute appeals resentencing imposed after the trial court corrected illegal sentences under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a). The court affirms the trial court's imposition of habitual offender sentences on resentencing, rejecting Plute's argument that guidelines sentences must be applied because the original sentencing judge had declined to impose habitual offender sentences.


Holding

The trial court may impose habitual offender sentences on resentencing even though the original sentencing judge declined to impose them, because the original sentences were illegal, having been imposed under an unconstitutional statute, and the mandate in Heggs requires resentencing in accordance with the valid laws in effect at the time of the offense, which include habitual offender sentencing statutes.


Headnotes

[1] A trial court may impose habitual offender sentences upon resentencing, even if the original sentence was imposed under the sentencing guidelines, when the original sente…

[2] A defendant is entitled to be resentenced in accordance with the valid laws in effect on the date the offense was committed when the original sentence was illegal.

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Key Quotes

“It is well established that a harsher sentence may be imposed on re-sentencing in such a context without violating double jeopardy.”

Establishes that harsher sentences on resentencing after illegal sentences are constitutionally permissible.

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Facts & Procedural History

In spring 1997, Plute committed armed robberies at McNatt's Cleaners & Laundry locations approximately weekly for two months. He was charged in six se…

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Opinion of the Court
ALTENBERND, Judge.

ALTENBERND, Judge.

Frank Piute appeals the sentences imposed after the trial court granted his motion to correct illegal sentences pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a). His earlier sentences had been imposed pursuant to an open plea under the 1995 sentencing guidelines.

The trial court determined that he was entitled to be resentenced under the rule announced in Heggs v. State, 759 So. 2d 620 (Fla.2000). This determination was made in accordance with our mandate in Plute v. State, 765 So. 2d 238 (Fla. 2d DCA 2000). On resentencing, the trial court imposed habitual offender sentences. Mr. Piute argues that the trial court could not impose habitual offender sentences at resentencing because guidelines sentences had been imposed at the first sentencing hearing.

We disagree and affirm the sentences.

In the spring of 1997, Mr. Piute apparently developed a fondness for McNatt’s Cleaners & Laundry establishments. He committed an armed robbery at various locations approximately once a week for two months. Eventually he was apprehended and charged in six separate infor-mations with five armed robberies, one robbery, and one attempted robbery. The State filed a habitual offender notice.

In December 1997, Mr. Piute pleaded guilty before Judge Behnke. Facing the possibility of consecutive, habitual offender sentencing, he entered an open plea. At that sentencing hearing, Judge Behnke used a 1995 scoresheet. The range on that scoresheet was between 240.9 points and 401.5 points. Judge Behnke determined that Mr. Piute qualified for habitual offender sentencing but decided to impose multiple concurrent sentences under the guidelines. The five armed robberies each resulted in a sentence of 321.2 months or 26.76 years, and each sentence included a 3-year minimum mandatory term for use of a firearm.

When Mr. Piute received relief under Heggs, his 1994 guidelines scoresheet resulted in a significantly lower sentencing range' — 96 to 160 months. At the resentencing, Judge Fuente decided that adequate sentences could not be structured under the lower guidelines range. Accordingly, he elected to impose concurrent 25-year habitual offender sentences for all of the armed robberies with 3-year minimum mandatory terms for use of a firearm. Thus, the new sentencing structure produces a total sentence that is roughly equivalent to the old sentences.

Mr. Piute argues that Judge Fuente was obligated to employ the guidelines because Judge Behnke had declined to impose a habitual offender sentence.

We disagree. This is not a case in which the trial court decided to impose a habitual offender sentence on revocation of probation or community control arising from an earlier legal sentence under the guidelines. Cf. King v. State, 681 So. 2d 1136 (Fla.1996) (holding that guidelines sentence cannot be upgraded to habitual offender sentencing at revocation proceeding unless defendant agrees at original sentencing).

Mr. Piute’s original sentence was illegal, having been imposed in reliance upon an unconstitutional statute that had never been validly enacted. It is well established that a harsher sentence may be imposed on re-sentencing in such a context without violating double jeopardy. See State v. Swider, 799 So. 2d 388 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001).

The mandate in Heggs requires trial courts to resentence eligible defendants “in accordance with the valid laws in effect” on the date that the defendant committed the relevant offense. Heggs, 759 So. 2d at 630-31. Unfortunately for Mr. Piute, those valid laws include the statutes authorizing habitual offender sentencing.

Affirmed.

WHATLEY and CASANUEVA, JJ., Concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Clark v. State, 72 So. 3d 222 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011)
    …ng.”). But if the original sentence was an illegal sentence, at resentencing, the trial court may impose any sentence consistent with the sentencing laws in effect on the date of the offense, even if it results in a harsher sentence. Plute v. State, 835 So. 2d 368, 369 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003) (“It is well established that a harsher sentence may be imposed on resentencing in such a context without violating double jeopardy.”); see also Peterson v. State, 974 So. 2d 1082, 1084 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007) (same). Other Flori…
  • Hobgood v. State, 166 So. 3d 840 (Fla. 4th DCA 2015)
    …ral findings” justifying a departure. Thus, the state asserts the 48-month sentence was an illegal sentence because it was an improper downward departure, and imposition of the 55.2-month sentence did not violate double jeopardy. See Plute v. State, 835 So. 2d 368, 369 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003) (“It is well established that a harsher sentence may be imposed on resentencing in such a context [i.e., where the defen [*844] dant’s original sentence was illegal] without violating double jeopardy.”); State v. Swider, 799…
  • Hankins v. State, 42 So. 3d 871 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010)
    …hall conduct further proceedings consistent with this opinion. If it ultimately determines that Mr. Hankins’ sentence as a PRR is illegal, it shall vacate the sentence and resentence Mr. Hankins in accordance with the proper law. See Plute v. State, 835 So. 2d 368 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003). We note that a guidelines sentence for this offense would still permit the trial court to exercise its discretion to impose a life sentence, but that decision would not be compelled as it is under the statutes applicable to priso…

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