DONALD SPARKS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Donald Sparks appealed the denial of his fourth motion to vacate his 1968 sentence under Rule 3.850. The Florida District Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction because the trial court failed to enter the order as a separate written instrument, instead merely endorsing the denial on the motion itself, making it impossible to determine when the order was rendered and thus when the notice of appeal deadline began to run.
The appellate court lacked jurisdiction to hear the appeal because the trial court did not enter a separate written order, making it impossible to determine when the order was rendered and therefore when the notice of appeal deadline commenced. Orders on motions to vacate must be separate written instruments signed by the judge and filed with the clerk.
[1] An order on a written motion to vacate must be a separate written instrument, signed by the judge, and filed with the clerk.
[2] Appellate jurisdiction is conferred by the timely filing of a proper notice of appeal in the lower court.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“It is fundamental that a court's appellate jurisdiction is conferred by the timely filing in the lower court of a proper notice of appeal. The time within which to file such notice of appeal is measured from the "rendition" of the order appealed”
Establishes the foundational requirement that appellate jurisdiction depends on timely filing of notice of appeal measured from when the order is rendered.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceSparks was sentenced in September 1968. He filed four motions to vacate between 1969 and 1971, with the first and third motions denied on January 31, …
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Appellant sought to appeal denial of a motion to vacate which he had filed pursuant to Rule 3.850 CrPR, 33 F.S.A. The appeal, not having been perfected as required by the appellate rules, was subject to dismissal. Nonetheless, - for our own satisfaction, since appellant did not have counsel on appeal, we informally ' secured the record from the clerk of the trial court. Having now examined it, we find that we lack jurisdiction and must dismiss the appeal for that reason.
A brief summary of the facts upon which we base our determination will be helpful. Appellant was sentenced in September, 1968. . He has, since that time, filed four motions to vacate, the present appeal involving denial of the fourth. The first was denied by an order rendered January 31, 1969, an untimely appeal therefrom being dismissed. Sparks v. State, Fla.App.1969, 225 So.2d 467. The third was denied by an order rendered April 13, 1970, which was not appealed. We itemize only those two because the grounds upon which each of those motions sought relief included the sole ground upon which this last motion sought relief. The trial court undoubtedly noted the identity of the ground of the present motion to that of the earlier motions, by virtue of which the court was justified in concluding that the motion should be summarily denied without evidentiary hearing. See Simpson v. State, Fla.App.1964, 165 So.2d 195. The jurisdictional problem arises, .however., because of the manner in which the court’s “order” of March 10, 1971, was entered.' -It’was accomplished by the judge merely endorsing upon the motion itself the words “Ordered, Summarily Denied — see Orders of 1-30-69, 12-19-1969 and 4-13-70”, and dating and signing the same. Thereupon, the motion was returned to the clerk’s office .and appellant was furnished a copy of the motion as thus endorsed.
It is fundamental that a court’s appellate jurisdiction is conferred by the timely filing in the lower court of a proper notice of appeal. The time within which to file such notice of appeal is measured from the “rendition” of the order appealed, as defined' in Rule 1.3, F.A.R., 32 F.S.A. Appellant’s motion was filed with the Clerk of the trial court on March 9, 1971, as reflected by the date-time stamp. For aught the record shows, the “order” (i. e., the motion as endorsed by the court) has not been filed, although, of course, the endorsed motion is physically in the trial court record. Was the order “rendered” ? If so, when? The notice of’ appeal was filed April 26, 1971.1 This was untimely if the order was “rendered” on March 10, 1971, and was premature if the order has never been “rendered”. In either case, the notice of appeal would not confer jurisdiction upon this court.
In this case, the prisoner filed what appears to be a frivolous, if not in fact a *253vexatious, motion to vacate. A busy trial judge, with a case load which is undoubtedly at full capacity, patiently and conscientiously reviewed the trial court record. Upon his finding that the motion alleged grounds which had been previously determined adversely to the prisoner, the judge utilized the most expeditious means of disposing of that motion. Though we fully appreciate the burden upon the trial courts, we must condemn the practice of entering order&>x>n motions..to vacate by the simple expedient of endorsing the substance of the order upon the face of the motion. An order on a written motion to vacate should be a separate written instrument, signed by the judge, and filed with the clerk. Anything less offends the traditional concept of the dignity of judicial orders, makes impractical the filing and service of copies of such order, and renders impossible the vesting of appellate jurisdiction in an appellate court by the filing of a notice of appeal.
Appeal dismissed.
REED, C. J., and WALDEN, J., concur.
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- Morgan Simpson v. State, 165 So. 2d 195 (Fla. 2d DCA 1964)
- Pitchford v. Claud Campbell and Rose Campbell, 225 So. 2d 467 (Fla. 4th DCA 1969)
- Williams v. State, 225 So. 2d 467 (Fla. 4th DCA 1969)