MICHAEL A. BAGGETT, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Appellant was convicted of breaking and entering with intent to commit grand larceny and grand larceny arising from the same burglary. On remand from a prior appeal, the trial court vacated the grand larceny sentence but resentenced the breaking and entering charge to twelve years (equal to the original combined sentences) and deferred sentencing on the grand larceny charge indefinitely. The court affirmed the resentencing on breaking and entering but reversed the deferred sentence on grand larceny as lacking legal authority.
The court affirmed the twelve-year resentence on breaking and entering, holding it was permissible because it equaled the original combined sentences and remained within statutory limits. The court reversed the deferred sentence on grand larceny, holding that a court lacks authority to defer sentencing indefinitely and that a person convicted of an offense is entitled to know when they are no longer subject to the court's power to impose imprisonment.
[1] A resentencing that results in the same punishment as the original sentence is not subject to the rule that a lawful sentence, once begun, cannot be vacated and increased…
[2] A trial court may not defer sentencing from "day to day" or "term to term" indefinitely.
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“one convicted of an offense is entitled to know just when in his life . . . he is no longer subject to the power of the court to translate his liberty to imprisonment.”
Establishes the fundamental principle that indefinite deferral of sentencing is impermissible because a convicted person must know when they are no longer subject to the court's sentencing power.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAppellant was convicted of breaking and entering with intent to commit grand larceny and grand larceny arising from the same burglary. Originally sent…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
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McNULTY, Chief Judge.
Appellant was found guilty of breaking and entering with intent to commit grand larceny and of grand larceny, each arising out of the same burglary. He was originally sentenced to seven years on the breaking and entering charge and to five years on the grand larceny charge to run consecutively, a total of twelve years. In a prior appeal1 we remanded the cause on the authority of Cone v. State,2 i. e, as violative of the “single transaction” rationale,3 and ordered the vacation of the grand larceny sentence and a resentencing on the breaking and entering charge. On remand the trial court vacated the grand larceny sentence pursuant to our mandate and resentenced appellant on the breaking and entering charge, this time to a twelve year term. In vacating the grand larceny charge, however, the court went further and deferred sentencing thereon “from day to day and term to term.” Appellant now seeks vacation of that deferred sentence and a reduction of the twelve year sentence on the breaking and entering charge claiming that the court was without authority to increase the original seven year sentence thereon.
First, as to the new, twelve year sentence we hold that from the imposition thereof, which equaled the combined original two sentences, and which was still within the prescribed statutory limits for the higher offense4, it may be presumed that the trial court had intended originally to impose the equivalent of a single sentence, of the length specified, which he lawfully could have imposed if there were but the higher charge. Had he done so appellant surely couldn’t be heard to complain; and he is in no better position now. We do not consider this a situation contemplated by those cases wherein it was held that a lawful sentence, once begun, cannot subsequently be vacated and increased.5 In those cases the net effect of the resentencing was to impose greater punishment while, here, the punishment is the same; the resentencing there was unfair, here it is not. We have no hesitancy in suggesting, moreover, that a resentencing may even exceed an original sentence assuming, of course, compliance with the caveat in North Carolina v. Pearce 6 relating to aggravating circumstances occurring subsequently to the original sentence.
Coming now to the deferred sentence on the grand larceny charge, we think the court erred in so deferring sentence from “day to day and term to term.” In State v. Bateh 7 our Supreme Court addressed a similar situation saying:
. . one convicted of an offense is entitled to know just when in his life . . . he is no longer subject to the power of the court to translate his liberty to imprisonment.”
Apart from the potential consequences inherent in a sentence to a definite term of probation we know of no authority to defer either from “day to day” or from “term to term” the imposition of a sentence of imprisonment. Furthermore, imposition of any sentence on the grand larceny charge under the facts herein, even if that fateful “day” and “term” were considered to have arrived, would be contra to our rationale in Edmond v. State.8 The order was erroneous.
Accordingly, the sentence on the breaking and entering charge should be, and the same is hereby, affirmed. The order deferring sentence on the grand larceny charge, however, should be, and it is hereby, reversed.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part.
BOARDMAN, J., concurs.
MANN, J. (Ret.), concurs specially with opinion.
. Baggett v. State (Fla.App.2d 1974), 287 So. 2d 336.
. (Fla.1973), 285 So. 2d 12.
. In retrospect, the Cone case, supra, may have been the wrong authority upon which to rely since the facts herein bring the case more precisely within the rationale of Edmond v. State (Fla.App.2d 1973), 280 So. 2d 449. In any event, such discrepancy is of no consequence to our disposition of the case as it now stands before us.
. See, § 810.01 and § 775.082 (4) (c), F.S. 1973.
. See, e. g., Troupe v. Howe (Fla.1973), 283 So. 2d 857, and Beckom v. State (Fla.App.2d 1969), 227 So. 2d 232.
. 395 U.S. 711, 89 S.Ct. 2072, 23 L.Ed.2d 656 (1969).
. (Fla.1959), 110 So. 2d 7.
. (Fla.App.2d 1973), 280 So. 2d 449.
MANN, Judge (Ret.),
concurring.
This case shows the folly of allowing the judgment as to which a sentence is vacated for violation of the single transaction rule discussed in Cone and Edmond, supra, to remain. I think, as I said in Bowen v. State, Fla.App., 301 So. 2d 793. Opinion filed October 4, 1974, that it is time we stopped vacating invalid sentences as to offenses for which the defendant can never be sentenced without vacating as well the underlying judgments. I could argue this point on constitutional grounds, if necessary, but for the moment the common sense of the situation seems to suffice.
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Donovan v. State, 572 So. 2d 522 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990)…greater offense, and there is no arguable violation of due process rights as long as the sentence for the surviving offense is no greater than the combined original sentences imposed for it and the lesser offenses it subsumed. See Baggett v. State, 302 So. 2d 206 (Fla. 2d DCA 1974).3 Compare Mor-ganti v. State, 557 So. 2d 593 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990). DOUBLE JEOPARDY: RICO The issue here is whether the appellant engaged in more than one “pattern of racketeering activity” under the Florida Racketeer Influenced a…
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Moore v. State, 339 So. 2d 228 (Fla. 2d DCA 1976)…he cause is remanded with directions that appellant be afforded an opportunity to withdraw his plea and enter a plea of not guilty. HOBSON and GRIMES, JJ., concur. . See State v. Bateh (Fla.1959), 110 So. 2d 7; Baggett v. State (Fla.App.2d, 1974), 302 So. 2d 206. . Section 798.01, F.S.1975. . See DeLaine v. State (Fla.1972), 262 So. 2d 655, construing § 798.03, F.S.1975. .See Barker v. State (Fla.App.2d, 1972), 259 So. 2d 200; also cf. Brown v. State (Fla.1971), 245 So. 2d 41.…
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Previewing 3 of 6 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711 (U.S. 1969)
- Flazell Troupe v. The Honorable Ellen Morphonios Rowe & the Honorable Paul Baker, 283 So. 2d 857 (Fla. 1973)
- Cone v. State, 285 So. 2d 12 (Fla. 1973)
- State v. Mussa C. Bateh, 110 So. 2d 7 (Fla. 1959)
- Ellis Edmond v. State, 280 So. 2d 449 (Fla. 2d DCA 1973)
- Beckom v. State, 227 So. 2d 232 (Fla. 2d DCA 1969)
- Baggett v. State, 287 So. 2d 336 (Fla. 2d DCA 1974)
- Bowen v. State, 301 So. 2d 793 (Fla. 2d DCA 1974)