COREY O'NEAL
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA

Fla. 3d DCA | 2026-07-30
No. 2026-0497
Miranda, J., Fernandez, J., Miller, J., Lobree, J.
2026 FL 9738 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (2026)

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.


Holding

A defendant is not entitled to relief for an unlawfully lenient sentence absent a showing of prejudice.


Headnotes

[1] A defendant seeking to correct an unlawfully lenient sentence under Florida law must demonstrate prejudice to obtain relief, notwithstanding the plain language of rule 3.…

Previewing 1 of 1 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

Key Quotes

“[O]ur Supreme Court held that even though 'the plain language of rule 3.800(a) does not expressly prohibit defendants from seeking to correct unlawfully lenient sentences,' Florida's statutory law makes clear that defendants 'are not entitled to such relief absent a showing of prejudice.'”

Court's explanation of the controlling legal standard from Lewis v. State

Facts & Procedural History

Corey O'Neal appealed a sentencing decision from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County. The appeal involved a challenge to the trial court's sentenc…

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Opinion of the Court

Third District Court of Appeal

State of Florida

Opinion filed July 30, 2026.

Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

No. 3D26-0497

Lower Tribunal No. F01-19774

Corey O'Neal,

Appellant,

vs.

State of Florida,

Appellee.

An Appeal under Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.141(b)(2) from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Cristina Miranda, Judge.

Corey O'Neal, in proper person.

James Uthmeier, Attorney General, and Richard L. Polin, Chief Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.

Before FERNANDEZ, MILLER, and LOBREE, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Affirmed. See Lewis v. State, 413 So. 3d 148, 150 (Fla. 4th DCA 2025) ("[O]ur Supreme Court held that even though 'the plain language of rule 3.800(a) does not expressly prohibit defendants from seeking to correct unlawfully lenient sentences,' Florida's statutory law makes clear that defendants 'are not entitled to such relief absent a showing of prejudice.” (quoting Earl v. State, 314 So. 3d 1253, 1255 (Fla. 2021))); see also § 921.002(1)(g), Fla. Stat. (2001) (The Criminal Punishment Code: “The trial court judge may impose a sentence up to and including the statutory maximum for any offense, including an offense that is before the court due to a violation of probation or community control.”) (emphasis added); State v. Collins, 985 So. 2d 985, 991 (Fla. 2008) (“The legislature has amended section 775.084 to specify that a habitual felony offender sentence is not subject to the sentencing guidelines.” (citing § 775.084(4)(h), Fla. Stat., (2001) (providing that “[a] sentence imposed under [the habitual felony offender statute] is not subject to s. 921.002."))); id. § 775.084(4)(a)1., Fla. Stat. ("The court, in conformity with the procedure established in paragraph (3)(a), may sentence the habitual felony offender as follows [i]n the case of a life felony or a felony of the first degree, for life.") (emphasis added); Cueto v. State, 979 So. 2d 1113, 1115 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008) (noting this court can take judicial notice of records in a prior appeal); § 90.202(6),

Fla. Stat. (2025) (“A court may take judicial notice of . . . [r]ecords of any court of this state or of any court of record of the United States or of any state, territory, or jurisdiction of the United States.").


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw