Phillip Brewer v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMay 27, 2026
Docket3D2026-0435
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed May 27, 2026.
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
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No. 3D26-0435
Lower Tribunal No. F09-32100B
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Phillip Brewer,
Appellant,
vs.
State of Florida,
Appellee.
An Appeal under Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.141(b)(2) from
the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Ramiro C. Areces, Judge.
Phillip Brewer, in proper person.
James Uthmeier, Attorney General, for appellee.
Before MILLER, LOBREE and BOKOR, JJ.
BOKOR, J.
Phillip Brewer appeals the trial court’s denial of his motion to correct
an illegal sentence. We affirm because his sentence was legal. See Carter
v. State, 786 So. 2d 1173, 1178 (Fla. 2001) (“[I]f it is possible under all the
sentencing statutes—given a specific set of facts—to impose a particular
sentence, then the sentence will not be illegal within rule 3.800(a) even
though the judge erred in imposing it.” (quotation omitted)).1
Affirmed.
1
Although we affirm for the reason stated above, we note that the record
refutes Brewer’s claim that the jury was recalled after discharge to continue
deliberations or to act in some way that constituted a violation of double
jeopardy. Rather, the jury was recalled so that the courtroom deputy clerk
could read an omitted line of the verdict rendered prior to discharge. The jury
was then re-polled and unanimously confirmed the rendered verdict. As this
court has explained, “[a] trial court may recall a jury after being discharged
to clear inconsistency, ambiguity, defect, or clerical error, provided that there
has not been opportunity for jury contamination.” Harper v. State, 66 So. 3d
1092, 1092–93 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011). Here, the trial court cleared any hint of
ambiguity or defect and the record demonstrated no opportunity for jury
contamination.
2