STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
BOBBY BYRD, JR., APPELLEE
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The State appealed a judgment of acquittal in a driving-with-revoked-license case. The court affirmed because the State presented only a redacted driving record that failed to show the defendant was a habitual traffic offender as required under Florida law to establish the charged felony.
The judgment of acquittal was affirmed because the redacted driving record was insufficient as a matter of law to establish that the defendant met the definition of a habitual traffic offender. To convict under section 322.34(5), the State must present competent evidence showing the DHSMV maintained a record reflecting the required number of prior moving violation convictions and that notice of habitual offender designation was given.
[1] Driving with a license revoked as a habitual traffic offender requires proof that the driver's record shows the accumulation of the specified number of convictions within…
[2] A prima facie case for driving with a revoked license as a habitual offender is not established by a redacted driving record that fails to demonstrate the defendant meets…
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“for purposes of section 322.34(5), making it a felony for a person to drive with a license "revoked pursuant to s. 322.264 (habitual offender)," the phrase "pursuant to" means "as defined by" section 322.264”
Establishes that the statute requires proof the revocation was specifically for habitual offender status, not just any revocation
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceBobby Byrd, Jr. was charged with driving with a revoked license pursuant to section 322.34(5), Florida Statutes, which makes it a felony to drive with…
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WARNER, J.
The state appeals an order granting a judgment of acquittal to the defendant who was charged with driving while his license was revoked pursuant to section 322.34(5), Florida Statutes. We affirm, as the state, without an order requiring it to do so, presented only a redacted version of appellant’s driving record which did not show that he was a habitual traffic offender as defined in section 322.264, Florida Statutes.1 See State v. Phillips, 852 So. 2d 922 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003) (for purposes of section 322.34(5), making it a felony for a person to drive with a license “revoked pursuant to s. 322.264 (habitual offender),” the phrase “pursuant to” means “as defined by” section 322.264). Section 322.34(5) provides that “[a]ny person whose driver’s license has been revoked pursuant to [as defined by] s. 322.264 (habitual offender) and who drives any motor vehicle ... while such license is revoked” is guilty of a third degree felony.
Section 322.264 defines a habitual traffic offender as:
any person whose record, as maintained by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, shows that such person has accumulated the specified number of convictions for offenses described in subsection (1) or subsection (2) within a 5-year period....
(emphasis supplied). The record submitted by the state did not show the accumulation of the specified number of convictions. Instead the redacted record showed only a notation that the license had been revoked and notice pursuant to section 322.351 had been given.
Failing to include a driving record showing that appellant met the definition of a habitual offender under the statute is insufficient as a matter of law to prove a prima facie case. See Patterson v. State, 938 So. 2d 625, 630 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006) (“A conviction under section 322.34(5) simply requires competent evidence showing that the DHSMV maintained a record on the motorist, that the record reflected three prior moving violation convictions, and that the motorist received notice of his designation as a habitual traffic offender and the resulting suspension of his license.”); State v. James, 928 So. 2d 1269, 1271 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006) (same); Kallelis v. State, 909 So. 2d 544, 545 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005) (same).
Affirmed.
SHAHOOD, C.J., and STEVENSON, J., concur. . Although the state sought to substitute the redacted version with another redacted version, both were deficient and failed to support the charge. Section 322.201, Florida Statutes, authorizes the admission of "the complete driving record” maintained by the Department of Motor Vehicles with the machine imprint of the DMV or the court clerk. The statute does not address the admissibility of a redacted version. Redaction should occur only where a court orders it upon a motion by the defendant (such as to prevent undue prejudice where the record is more extensive and has notations of other criminal acts) or where the parties agree to submit the redacted version. In those instances the defendant would necessarily have waived his right to insist on the complete record coming into evidence. On this ground we distinguish Weathers v. State, 937 So. 2d 1132 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006), where the driving record was redacted as a result of a court order on a motion in limine to omit the offenses which resulted in Weathers being declared a habitual offender.
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Carter v. State, 23 So. 3d 1238 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009)…ate the requisite convictions to justify the habitual traffic offender designation under section 322.264, then the state has failed to make a prima facie case for a section 322.34 felony violation for driving on a revoked license. See State v. Byrd, 969 So. 2d 581, 582 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007); Kallelis v. State, 909 So. 2d 544, 545 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005). Here, the driving record offered by the state failed to prove an essential element of the crime because it did not specify the convictions that gave rise to the h…
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Lamercus Tremain LAW v. State, 40 So. 3d 857 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010)…WARNER, J. Appellant, Lamercus Law, appeals his convictions for driving while license revoked pursuant to section 322.34(5), Florida Statutes, and DUI impairment. We affirm on all issues, but write to correct a misreading of State v. Byrd, 969 So. 2d 581 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007), involving the use of redacted records maintained by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (“DHSMV’). The state charged Law with a violation of section 322.34(5) as well as driving while impaired. “A conviction und…
Authorities Cited
- Patterson v. State, 938 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006)
- State v. James, 928 So. 2d 1269 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006)
- Kallelis v. State, 909 So. 2d 544 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005)
- State v. Phillips, 852 So. 2d 922 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003)
- Weathers v. State, 937 So. 2d 1132 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006)