THE STATE OF FLORIDA UPON THE RELATION OF DAVID LEE WILLIAMS AND JAMES H. WILLIAMS, PETITIONERS,
v.
J. DONALD BRUCE, AS JUDGE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
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The Florida District Court of Appeal resolved whether Rule 3.040 (general time computation rules) applies when calculating the 180-day speedy trial period under Rule 3.191. The court held that the day a person is taken into custody is excluded from the speedy trial computation, with the period commencing on the following day.
Rule 3.040 applies to the computation of the speedy trial period under Rule 3.191. The date on which a person charged with a crime is taken into custody is not included in the computation; the time period commences on the date following custody. The last day of the computed period is counted unless it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, in which case the period runs until the end of the next non-holiday weekday.
[1] The day of the act or event from which a period of time begins to run is not included in the computation of that period under the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure.
[2] The speedy trial period under Rule 3.191, RCrP, commences on the date a person is taken into custody as a result of the conduct or criminal episode giving rise to the cri…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by these rules, except Rule 3.130, by order of court, or by any applicable statute, the day of the act or event from which the designated period of time begins to run is not to be included.”
Establishes the fundamental rule for time computation that applies to speedy trial calculations
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceDavid Lee Williams and James H. Williams, Jr., were charged with crimes in the Circuit Court of Duval County, Florida. Both filed suggestions for writ…
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BOYER, Chief Judge.
Relator, David Lee Williams, filed in this Court a Suggestion for Writ of Prohibition in which he contended that he could not be tried for the offense for which he was charged in the Circuit Court of Duval County, alleging that his right to speedy trial had been violated. We issued Rule Nisi. Thereafter, Relator, James H. Williams, Jr., filed an identical suggestion resulting in his case being consolidated with that of Relator David Lee Williams, all parties having consented to the consolidation. The sole issue for our determination is whether or not Rule 3.040, RCrP is applicable in computing the time period under the “Speedy Trial Rule”, Rule 3.191, RCrP. That query does not appear to have been explicitly answered by any reported decision.
Rule 3.191(a)(1), RCrP provides in material part as follows:
“The time periods established by this section shall commence when such person is taken into custody as a result of the conduct or criminal episode giving rise to the crime charged.”
The Supreme Court of Florida has clearly and explicitly held that the above cited portion of the rule means what it says and that when the crime involved is a felony the 180 day time period provided in the rule commences to run “from the date the Petitioner was taken into custody”. (Allen v. State, Sup.Ct.Fla.1973, 275 So. 2d 238) The issue is, however, whether, in the computation of said 180 day period, the day that the person charged with the crime is taken into custody shall be included or whether the time period shall commence to run on the date following the date such person is taken into custody. Rule 3.040, RCrP appears to us to answer that question as explicitly as the English language will permit. That rule provides in material part as follows:
“In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by these rules, except Rule 3.130, by order of court, or by any applicable statute, the day of the act or event from which the designated period of time begins to run is not to be included. The last day of the period so computed shall be counted, unless it is Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, in which event the period shall run until the end of a next day which is neither a Saturday, Sunday nor a legal holiday.” (Emphasis added)
We therefore hold that in computing the “speedy trial period” provided by Rule 3.-191; RCrP, the date that the person charged is taken into custody as a result of the conduct or criminal episode giving rise to the crime charged shall not be included.
As Rule 3.040, RCrP specifically provides, the last date of the period so computed shall be counted, unless it is Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday, in which event the period shall run until the end of the next day which is neither a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday. (Allen v. State, supra and Griffith v. State, Fla. App.2d 1974, 299 So. 2d 618)
Petitioners have cited to us several of our own decisions and decisions of other appellate courts wherein the computations therein recited lead to the conclusion that the day the persons there charged were taken into custody was included in the periods computed in those cases. We have examined each of those cases and find that there the date of commencement of computation of the periods involved was not an issue, therefore those cases are not controlling. Insofar as those cases might be construed as being in conflict herewith, we recede therefrom.
It having been made to appear that upon application of Rule 3.040, RCrP, the “180 Rule” was not violated in either of the cases here before us, we determine that Rule Nisi was improvidently issued: The same are therefore hereby discharged and petitioners’ Suggestions for Writ of Prohibition are denied.
RAWLS and McCORD, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
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State v. Edwards, 528 So. 2d 120 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988)…ules, but it was timely. This interpretation of rule 3.191 is adopted in the Second District’s opinion of Ricci. Our sister court noted that historically rule 3.191 has been construed in harmony with rule 3.040, see State ex rel. Williams v. Bruce, 327 So. 2d 51 (Fla. 1st DCA); certiorari dismissed, 334 So. 2d 609 (Fla.1976) (i.e,, if the one-hundred-eightieth day fell on a week-end or a holiday, state could still avoid discharge of defendant if defendant was tried on next business day). The only provisions…
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State v. Naveira, 768 So. 2d 1254 (Fla. 1st DCA 2000)…rule 3.040, the answer being that the date of arrest is excluded in the 175-day calculation of time, despite that the calculation commences from the date of arrest. The same issue was earlier decided by this court in State ex rel. Williams v. Bruce, 327 So. 2d 51, 52 (Fla. 1st DCA 1976), where we said: We therefore hold that in computing the “speedy trial period” provided by Rule 3.191, RCrP, the date that the person charged is taken into custody as a result of the conduct or criminal episode giving rise to…
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Ricci v. The Honorable James S. Parker, 518 So. 2d 284 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987)…ed his rights under the rule was entitled to absolute discharge. However, if the 180th day fell on a weekend or holiday, the state still could avoid discharge if the defendant could be tried on the next business day. State ex rel. Williams v. Bruce, 327 So. 2d 51 (Fla. 1st DCA 1976). Thus, the rule did not provide a strict 180-day period of limitations in all cases. We have no reason to believe the law should be any different today under the revised speedy trial rule with its “window of recapture.” The rule…
Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Hayden v. Cipolato, 275 So. 2d 238 (Fla. 1973)
- Oakley Riley Griffith v. State, 299 So. 2d 618 (Fla. 2d DCA 1974)