William Fitzgerald Seward v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledJuly 24, 2026
Docket5D2025-3057
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIFTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
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Case No. 5D2025-3057
LT Case No. 2017-CF-000141-A
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WILLIAM FITZGERALD SEWARD,
Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
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3.800 Appeal from the Circuit Court for Sumter County.
Mary Pavloff Hatcher, Judge.
William Fitzgerald Seward, Perry, pro se.
James Uthmeier, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Alyssa M.
Williams, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for
Appellee.
July 24, 2026
PER CURIAM.
William Fitzgerald Seward appeals the denial of his Florida
Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a) motion alleging that the
twenty-year sentence he received for manslaughter with a firearm
is illegal. The postconviction court denied the motion, reasoning
that Seward’s scoresheet authorized a twenty-year sentence.
While the lowest permissible sentence must be imposed when it
exceeds the statutory maximum, section 921.0024(2), Florida
Statutes (2017), Seward’s scoresheet reflects that his lowest
permissible sentence falls well below the statutory maximum for
manslaughter with a firearm.1
We express no opinion concerning the merits of the motion.
But our record in this case does not conclusively show that Seward
is “entitled to no relief.” Fla. R. App. P. 9.141(b)(2)(D). We therefore
reverse and remand for further proceedings.
REVERSED and REMANDED.
JAY, C.J., and EISNAUGLE and MACIVER, 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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1 The order attaches two seemingly conflicting versions of the
scoresheet. Both versions, however, fail to support the
postconviction court’s denial.
2