Jesse Donofrio v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMarch 6, 2020
Docket2D19-1323
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING
MOTION AND, IF FILED, DETERMINED
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
JESSE DONOFRIO, )
)
Appellant, )
)
v. ) Case No. 2D19-1323
)
STATE OF FLORIDA, )
)
Appellee. )
___________________________________)
Opinion filed March 6, 2020.
Appeal pursuant to Fla. R. App. P.
9.141(b)(2) from the Circuit Court for
Hillsborough County; Nick Nazaretian,
Judge.
Jesse Donofrio, pro se.
NORTHCUTT, Judge.
Jesse Donofrio filed a motion to correct jail credit pursuant to Florida Rule
of Criminal Procedure 3.801 in February 2016. The postconviction court dismissed the
motion as facially insufficient because it was not under oath as required by rule
3.801(c). The order gave Donofrio sixty days in which to file an amended motion.
Eventually, the court rendered a final order denying Donofrio's motion for jail credit with
prejudice because Donofrio did not file an amended motion within the sixty days
provided by the prior order.
The order dismissing Donofrio's motion for lack of an oath was mistaken.
The motion contained a written declaration that complied with the requirements of
section 92.525(2), Florida Statutes (2015). The written declaration was made under
penalty of perjury, provided that Donofrio had read the motion, and certified that the
facts contained therein were true and correct. The declaration was made at the end of
the motion but above Donofrio's signature. The form and substance of the written
declaration mirrored the written declaration contained in the form motion for jail credit
contained in the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.9875. As
such, it met the requirements of rule 3.801(c). Cf. State v. Shearer, 628 So. 2d 1102
(Fla. 1993) (holding that unnotarized written declaration under section 92.525 satisfied
oath requirement of rule 3.850); Theoc v. State, 832 So. 2d 261 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002)
(same).
Accordingly, we reverse the postconviction court's order denying
Donofrio's motion for jail credit with prejudice and remand for further proceedings
consistent with this opinion.
Reversed and remanded.
SALARIO and ROTHSTEIN-YOUAKIM, JJ., Concur.
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