JESUS ACOSTA, APPELLANT,
v.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Jesus Acosta appealed a trial court's sentencing order under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800, challenging whether his sentence was illegal. The court affirmed most of the trial court's order but reversed and remanded to correct the sentencing order to reflect that minimum mandatory sentences on three counts should run concurrently.
The court affirmed the trial court's correction of the guidelines scoresheet but rejected Acosta's challenge to the life sentences because they fell within the legal maximum allowed by statute and therefore were not illegal under Rule 3.800(a). The court reversed and remanded to correct the sentencing order to reflect that minimum mandatory sentences on counts 2, 3, and 4 should run concurrently rather than consecutively.
[1] A general sentence imposed on multiple counts is prohibited when separate sentences are entered on those counts.
[2] A claim for entitlement to a corrected sentencing guidelines scoresheet may be granted when the original scoresheet improperly scored a capital offense as the primary off…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“A claim that the trial court improperly departed from the recommended sentencing guidelines may not be brought pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal procedure 3.800(a) if the departure sentence is within the legal maximum because it does not constitute an illegal sentence.”
Establishes the controlling legal standard that sentences within the legal maximum cannot be challenged as illegal under Rule 3.800(a), even if they depart from guidelines.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAcosta was convicted of kidnapping with a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and burglary with assault and a firearm. He received life sentences on thes…
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Jesus Acosta appeals from an order denying in part and granting in part his motion to correct illegal sentence under Floi’ida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800. Acosta raises three claims in his motion. First, he claims that his sentence was illegal because the sentences imposed on his convictions for counts 2, 3, and 4 of the charges against him were a prohibited general sentence. We affirm that portion of the order rejecting this argument (an argument subsequently abandoned by Acosta) because separate sentences were entered on these counts.
Second, Acosta claimed below that the sentencing guidelines scoresheet utilized by the trial court in initially sentencing him improperly scored a capital offense as the primary offense, where the law in effect at the time did not permit this. See § 921.001(4)(b), Fla. Stat. (1994). The State and the trial court properly agreed with Acosta on this claim. We therefore affirm that portion of the order granting Acosta relief on his claim of entitlement to a corrected guidelines scoresheet.
Lastly, Acosta claims that he is entitled to be resentenced on his convictions for kidnapping with a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and burglary with assault and a firearm because the life sentences imposed were outside the guidelines and thus constituted departure sentences which, to be legal, had to be justified with written departure reasons. We disagree. As Corria v. State, 932 So.2d 530, 532 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006), confirms, Acosta is entitled to no relief at this juncture because where, as here, the sentences imposed fall within the legal máximums allowed by law, they are not illegal and are not subject to challenge on a Rule 3.800(a) motion:
A claim that the trial court improperly departed from the recommended sen*236tencing guidelines may not be brought pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal procedure 3.800(a) if the departure sentence is within the legal maximum because it does not constitute an illegal sentence. See Davis v. State, 661 So.2d 1198, 1197 (Fla.1995), receded from in part on other grounds, Carter v. State, 786 So.2d 1173, 1177 (Fla.2001); Isom v. State, 915 So.2d 183 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005).
See also § 787.01(2), Fla. Stat. (1995) (“A person who kidnaps a person is guilty of a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life ....”) (emphasis added); § 810.02(2)(a)-(b), Fla. Stat. (1995) (“Burglary is a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life imprisonment ... if in the course of committing the offense, the offender: (a) Makes an assault or battery upon any person; or (b) Is or becomes armed .... ”); § 812.13(2)(a), Fla. Stat. (1995) (“If in the course of committing the robbery the offender carried a firearm or other deadly weapon, then the robbery is a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment of a term of years not exceeding life imprisonment ....”).
We do, however, reverse and remand the order on appeal for correction of Acosta’s sentence to reflect that the minimum mandatory sentences imposed on Counts 2, 3, and 4 are to run concurrently — an argument conceded by the State in its response to Acosta’s reply to the State’s initial response to his motion.1 The defendant need not be present for this correction.
Affirmed in part and reversed in part and remanded to correct Acosta’s sentence to reflect that the minimum mandatory sentences on Counts 2, 3, and 4 are to run concurrently.
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Birdsong v. State, 399 So. 3d 360 (Fla. 1st DCA 2024)…trial court improperly departed from the recommended sentencing guidelines may not be brought pursuant to [rule 3.800(a)] if the departure sentence is within the legal maximum because it does not constitute an illegal sentence.” Acosta v. State, 103 So. 3d 234, 235- 36 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012). The jury convicted Appellant of burglary of an occupied conveyance with assault. Section 810.02(2), Florida Statutes, defines this offense as a “felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of yea…
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Allen v. State (Fla. 3d DCA 2019)…rocedure 3.800(a). We affirm without discussion that portion of the order denying relief on the life sentences imposed on Allen for five counts of armed kidnapping, one count of armed robbery, and one count of armed carjacking. See Acosta v. State, 103 So. 3d 234 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012); Corria v. State, 932 So. 2d 530 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006). However, we reverse and remand that portion of the order denying relief on Allen’s claim that the three-year mandatory minimum sentences, imposed pursuant to section 775.087(2)…
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Maye v. State (Fla. 2026)
Previewing 3 of 4 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Carter v. State, 786 So. 2d 1173 (Fla. 2001)
- Isom v. State, 915 So. 2d 183 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005)
- Corria v. State, 932 So. 2d 530 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006)