Kevin Smith v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledAugust 19, 2020
Docket4D19-1036
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
FOURTH DISTRICT
KEVIN SMITH,
Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
No. 4D19-1036
[August 19, 2020]
Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit,
Broward County; Marina Garcia-Wood, Judge; L.T. Case No. 17-
002407CF10A.
Carey Haughwout, Public Defender, and Nancy Jack, Assistant Public
Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Ashley Moody, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Heidi L. Bettendorf,
Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.
KUNTZ, J.
Kevin Smith raises four issues on appeal. We affirm three without
comment. For the fourth issue, Smith argues the court’s written sentence
did not conform to the court’s oral pronouncement at the sentencing
hearing. We agree.
“Where a trial court’s written sentencing order conflicts with the oral
pronouncement, the oral pronouncement controls.” Thomas v. State, 183
So. 3d 479, 480 (Fla. 4th DCA 2016) (quoting Santiago v. State, 133 So.
3d 1159, 1167 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014)).
The court’s written sentence designated Smith a violent career criminal
on counts I through V. But the court’s oral pronouncement of Smith’s
sentence did not. As a result, the circuit court must correct Smith’s
sentence to remove the violent career criminal status.
On counts III through V, all second-degree felonies, the court orally
pronounced 30 years as a prison releasee reoffender and 15 years plus one
day as a habitual felony offender. In contrast, the written order on these
counts reflects 30-year sentences, designations as a habitual felony
offender as stated on the record, and designations as a prison releasee
reoffender with mandatory minimum of 15 years. Again, the written
sentence conflicts with the court’s oral pronouncement.
The maximum sentence for a second-degree felony with a habitual
felony offender designation is 30 years, § 775.084(4)(a)2., Fla. Stat. (2019),
and the maximum with a prison releasee reoffender designation is 15
years, § 775.082(9)(a)3.c., Fla. Stat. (2019). The court orally sentenced
Smith to 15 years and one day as a habitual felony offender. Smith’s
sentence on those counts cannot exceed that oral pronouncement.
We affirm but remand for correction of the written order to conform to
the oral pronouncement as stated above.
Affirmed and remanded.
LEVINE, C.J., and SHEPHERD, CAROLINE, Associate Judge, concur.
* * *
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
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