Johnny Copeland v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMarch 20, 2020
Docket1D19-0645
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
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No. 1D19-645
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JOHNNY COPELAND,
Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
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On appeal from the Circuit Court for Wakulla County.
Ronald W. Flury, Judge.
March 20, 2020
PER CURIAM.
We affirm the denial of Appellant’s motion to correct illegal
sentence. In 2015, Appellant filed a motion to correct illegal
sentence where he argued that the lower court had previously
resentenced him on a kidnapping conviction that was stricken and
reversed on appeal. The postconviction court granted relief on this
claim and entered an amended judgment striking that sentence on
April 13, 2016, outside of Appellant’s presence. Appellant now
argues that his sentence is illegal because he was not present when
the amended judgment was entered and that the trial court
improperly struck out a portion of the amended judgment on a
first-degree murder charge that would have made him eligible for
parole after 25 years. He contends that he is entitled to
resentencing or a new trial.
Appellant’s claims are without merit. The amended judgment
entered by the postconviction court only struck the kidnapping
sentence that had previously been vacated. The trial court had no
discretion to alter the Appellant’s sentence in any other way.
Additionally, the transcript and sentencing agreement from the
1992 sentencing hearing clearly show Appellant was never meant
to be eligible for parole. Thus, the amended judgment could not
have removed such eligibility. We find the trial court’s
handwritten correction was a purely ministerial act done to correct
a scrivener’s error in the amended judgment. See Daniels v. State,
31 So. 3d 190, 191 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009) (holding that the
defendant’s presence is not necessary when a court is merely
engaged in a purely ministerial act where it has no discretion).
Appellant’s second claim is likewise without merit. He
attempts to argue that his own violation of the sentencing
agreement by seeking postconviction relief entitles him to
resentencing or a new trial. However, the plea agreement only
gives the State the option to declare the agreement null and void.
It has no obligation to do so, and as it has not sought to enforce
that element, this argument must fail.
In view of the above, we affirm the trial court’s ruling as to all
of the Appellant’s claims. Appellant is warned that any future
filings that this Court determines to be frivolous may result in the
imposition of sanctions, including a prohibition against any
further pro se filings in this Court and a referral to the appropriate
institution for disciplinary procedures as provided in section
944.279, Florida Statutes (2019) (providing that a prisoner who is
found by a court to have brought a frivolous or malicious suit,
action, claim, proceeding, or appeal is subject to disciplinary
procedures pursuant to the rules of the Department of
Corrections).
AFFIRMED.
ROWE, WINOKUR, and NORDBY, JJ., concur.
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Not final until disposition of any timely and
authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
9.331.
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Johnny Copeland, pro se, Appellant.
Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Thomas H. Duffy, Assistant
Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.
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