State of Florida v. B.T.G., a Child
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledJanuary 15, 2021
Docket1D20-0330
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
_____________________________
No. 1D20-0330
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STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellant,
v.
B.T.G., A Child,
Appellee.
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On appeal from the Circuit Court for Duval County.
Maureen Horkan, Judge.
January 15, 2021
WINOKUR, J.
The State of Florida appeals the juvenile sanction imposed
upon B.T.G. after he was charged as an adult pursuant to section
985.557(2), Florida Statutes (2018), and sentenced pursuant to
section 985.557(2)(d)2.a., Florida Statutes (2018). The State claims
that the foregoing statute prohibited the trial judge from imposing
juvenile sanctions and required criminal sanctions instead because
B.T.G. had earlier been adjudicated for an offense involving a
firearm. * Because there is insufficient record evidence to support
* The 2018 version of section 985.557 was in effect at the time
B.T.G. was charged. But in 2019, subsection (2) of this section was
a finding that B.T.G had a previous adjudication or withhold of
adjudication of a forcible felony or offense involving a firearm, or
had been previously placed in a residential program as
enumerated in section 985.557(2)(d)2.a., we affirm. See, e.g., State
v. G.B., 588 So. 2d 253, 254โ55 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991) (holding that
the burden is on the State as appellant to produce a sufficient
record to demonstrate reversible error).
AFFIRMED.
B.L. THOMAS and TANENBAUM, 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.
_____________________________
Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Heather Flanagan Ross,
Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee; Erin J. Wolfson,
Assistant State Attorney, Jacksonville, for Appellant.
Jessica J. Yeary, Public Defender, and Lori A. Willner, Assistant
Public Defender, Tallahassee, for Appellee.
deleted, so that a court could impose juvenile sanctions pursuant
to section 985.565, Florida Statutes (2019) even if the juvenile had
a prior adjudication that would have disqualified him for juvenile
sanctions under 2018 law. See Ch. 2019-167, ยง 76, Laws of Fla. It
is uncertain whether the 2018 law applies to B.T.G.โs sentence
because he was not sentenced until after the 2019 law became
effective. See ยง 775.022(4), Fla. Stat. (2019) (requiring a court to
sentence an offender in accordance with current law if the
punishment has been reduced by statutory amendment). However,
we need not decide this question because the record is insufficient
to justify reversal.
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