State of Florida v. Brandy Lee Johnson
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledAugust 26, 2021
Docket1D20-2649
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
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No. 1D20-2649
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STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellant,
v.
BRANDY LEE JOHNSON,
Appellee.
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On appeal from the Circuit Court for Alachua County.
James M. Colaw, Judge.
August 26, 2021
RAY, J.
The State of Florida challenges the trial court’s order granting
Brandy Lee Johnson’s motion for discharge based on the State’s
failure to file an information within 175 days of her arrest, thereby
violating her speedy trial rights. Below and on appeal, the State
argued that the delay was permissible under the Florida Supreme
Court’s administrative orders suspending all speedy trial time
periods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. * Johnson
* See Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-13 (Fla. Mar. 13, 2020);
Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-17 (Fla. Mar. 24, 2020); Fla.
Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23 (Fla. Apr. 6, 2020); Fla. Admin.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 1 (Fla. May 4, 2020); Fla. Admin.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 2 (Fla. May 21, 2020); Fla. Admin.
countered that the supreme court only intended to suspend the
speedy trial periods pertaining to in-person proceedings, not the
time for investigating or filing an information. During the
pendency of this appeal, this Court decided Smith v. State, 310 So.
3d 1101 (Fla. 1st DCA 2020). Smith held that the supreme court’s
administrative orders suspended all time periods pertaining to the
speedy trial procedure, including the time for the State to file or
amend an information. Id. at 1103. Thus, pursuant to Smith, we
reverse.
REVERSED and REMANDED for further proceedings.
MAKAR and M.K. THOMAS, 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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Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Trisha Meggs Pate and
Adam B. Wilson, Assistant Attorneys General, Tallahassee, for
Appellant.
Jessica J. Yeary, Public Defender, and Lori A. Willner, Assistant
Public Defender, Tallahassee, for Appellee.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 3 (Fla. June 8, 2020); Fla. Admin.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 4 (Fla. June 16, 2020); Fla. Admin.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 5 (Fla. July 2, 2020); Fla. Admin.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 6 (Fla. Aug. 12, 2020); Fla. Admin.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 7 (Fla. Oct. 2, 2020); Fla. Admin.
Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 8 (Fla. Nov. 23, 2020).
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