Case Title: Ronnie Ferrell v. State of Florida

Citation: 

Docket Number: SC03-1423

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 2004-07-01T00:00:00Z

Document:
Supreme Court of Florida
THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2004
CASE NO.:  SC03-1423
                                                              Lower Tribunal No.: 91-8142CFA
RONNIE FERRELL
vs.
STATE OF FLORIDA
Appellant(s)
Appellee(s)
This matter is before the Court under Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure
9.142(b), on a petition to review the trial court's nonfinal order replacing the
former Capital Collateral Counsel-North (CCRC-North) attorney with different
registry counsel.  Ferrell, who is under a sentence of death, has his initial rule
3.850 motion before the trial court.  Appointment of counsel at this stage of the
proceedings was necessitated by the unique circumstance of the defunding of
CCRC-North pursuant to a pilot program for the 2004 fiscal year. 
Having considered the arguments of the parties, this Court remands the case
to the trial court to comply with the requirements of section 27.710(5), Florida
Statutes (2003), to wit:
The trial court must issue an order of appointment which contains
specific findings that the appointed counsel meets the statutory
requirements and has the high ethical standards necessary to represent
a person sentenced to death. 
In all other respects, the petition is denied.
PARIENTE, C.J., and WELLS, ANSTEAD, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANTERO and
BELL, JJ., concur.
PARIENTE, C.J., concurs with an opinion, in which ANSTEAD, J., concurs.
NO MOTION FOR REHEARING WILL BE ALLOWED.
2
A True Copy
Test:
jn
Served:
STEPHEN FREDERICK SIEGEL
GEORGE BATEH
LINDA MCDERMOTT
CURTIS M. FRENCH
HON. JIM FULLER, CLERK
HON. CHARLES W. ARNOLD, JR., JUDGE
FRANK J. TASSONE, JR.
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PARIENTE, C.J., concurring.
I concur in the remand in this case.  Strict adherence to the statutory
requirement of findings supporting the appointment of registry counsel is even
more important in a case such as this, in which the trial court appointed counsel
other than Ferrell's former CCRC-North counsel, with whom Ferrell had an
established and ongoing relationship.
ANSTEAD, J., concurs.