Matthew A. Pierce v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledNovember 30, 2022
Docket2D21-1459
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
MATTHEW A. PIERCE,
Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
No. 2D21-1459
November 30, 2022
Appeal from the Circuit Court for Charlotte County; Scott H. Cupp,
Judge.
Howard L. Dimmig, II, Public Defender, and Rachel Paige Roebuck,
Assistant Public Defender, Bartow, for Appellant.
Ashley Moody, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Katherine
Coombs Cline, Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, for Appellee.
PER CURIAM.
Matthew A. Pierce appeals his judgment and sentence for
trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of a controlled
substance. Mr. Pierce was sentenced on both counts to thirteen
years' imprisonment with a three-year mandatory minimum.
The trial court's oral pronouncement at sentencing reflects
that Mr. Pierce's sentence should have been thirteen years'
imprisonment on the trafficking charge and five years'
imprisonment on the possession charge, to run concurrent with the
thirteen-year sentence on the trafficking charge. The State
concedes error on this point, and we agree. See Enchautegui v.
State, 749 So. 2d 550, 550 (Fla. 2d DCA 2000) ("An oral
pronouncement will most certainly prevail when the State concedes
that the written sentence is in error."); see also State v. Akins, 69
So. 3d 261, 269 (Fla. 2011) ("[W]hen there is a discrepancy between
the written sentence and 'the oral pronouncement, the oral
pronouncement prevails.' " (quoting Justice v. State, 674 So. 2d 123,
125 (Fla. 1996))). Accordingly, we reverse Mr. Pierce's sentence and
remand for a corrected sentence in accordance with the trial court's
oral pronouncement at sentencing.
Mr. Pierce also identifies that the trial court assessed a $65
"Court Facility & Legal Aid, etc. Fund" fee pursuant to local
ordinance 2004-036 and failed to cite the appropriate Florida
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statute. As we have previously instructed trial courts in this
district, cost orders should reference both the applicable local
ordinance and Florida statute, and we note the same here. See
Reyes v. State, 655 So. 2d 111, 121โ22 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995),
superseded by statute, ยง 938.15, Fla. Stat. (1997), on other grounds
as recognized in Waller v. State, 911 So. 2d 226, 227 (Fla. 2d DCA
2005). We find no merit in any of the other issues raised by Mr.
Pierce in this appeal.
Affirmed in part; reversed in part; remanded for corrected
sentence.
NORTHCUTT, BLACK, and LUCAS, JJ., Concur.
Opinion subject to revision prior to official publication.
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