Case Name: Thomas H. PROVENZANO, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1999-09-23
Citations: 750 So. 2d 597
Docket Number: No. 96,453
Parties: Thomas H. PROVENZANO, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: HARDING, C.J., and PARIENTE, J., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 750
Pages: 597–610

Head Matter:
Thomas H. PROVENZANO, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 96,453.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Sept. 23, 1999.
Michael P. Reiter, Chief Assistant CCRC, Capital Collateral Regional Counsel — Middle, Tampa, Florida, for appellant.
Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, Carolyn M. Snurkowski, Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida, ■ and Carol M. Dittmar, Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, Florida, for ap-pellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Thomas H. Provenzano appeals an order entered by the circuit court finding him sane to be executed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.812. We have jurisdiction pursuant to article V, section 3(b)(1) of the Florida Constitution. For the reasons expressed below, we remand for further proceedings.
In Provenzano v. State, 751 So.2d 37 (Fla.1999), we reversed an earlier circuit court order and remanded for an evi-dentiary hearing pursuant to rule 3.812. Our opinion in that case was released on Thursday, August 26, 1999. The next day, the circuit court held a status conference. The court indicated that it would like to begin the hearing on Tuesday, August 31, 1999. Counsel'for Provenzano originally indicated that defense expert Dr. Patricia Fleming would be available that week (the week of August 30). However, after the status conference on August 27, Provenza-no learned that Dr. Fleming would not be available the week of August 30 due to a previous commitment. On Monday, August 30, the circuit court held another status conference at which counsel for Pro-venzano moved for a continuance. In support of this request, counsel for Provenza-no submitted the following affidavit from Dr. Fleming:
1. My name is Patricia Fleming. I am a licensed clinical psychologist. I first completed a psychological evaluation of Thomas Provenzano on March 4, 1989 and followed his psychological condition during the years following his conviction. I completed a second psychological evaluation on July 4, 1999 to determine his current mental status and competency to be executed.
2. Upon my return to Cheyenne today, August 27, 1999, I received word that the Honorable Judge Bentley had scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Thomas Provenzano for the week of August 30, 1999. I am unable to be in Florida during this week due to prior commitments that cannot be changed on short notice.
3. Training for State of Wyoming employees has been scheduled during this week for a computer program that has been developed for case managers. It would not be possible to change the date since the participants and their supervisors throughout Wyoming will be in attendance. This meeting has been scheduled for over three months. On Monday, August 30 the meeting for finalization of the computer program and training is scheduled. On Wednesday, August 29[sic], we travel to the training site and return on Friday, September 3. In addition, I have hospital and office patients that I was not able to see during my recent absence.
4. I considered the option of requesting a telephone testimony, but there is not time to adequately prepare. It is necessary to review the records and prepare for testimony, which requires at least seven or eight hours, time that is not available during now and the time scheduled for the evidentiary hearing.
5. I examined Mr. Provenzano for competency to be executed on July 4, 1999 and my complete findings are available in that report. It is my professional opinion that Mr. Provenzano is incompetent to be executed due to the severity of his mental illness. Thomas Provenza-no does not appreciate or understand the fact of his impending execution and the reason for it. I regret my inability to participate in the hearing.
6. I could be available for testimony September 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the following week.
Provenzano requested that if the court was intent on starting the hearing on August 31, the court should, at the very least, conclude the hearing on September 7, thus giving Dr. Fleming the opportunity to testify on the final day.
However, in making its decision as to whether to allow the continuance, the circuit court was concerned with the pending execution date in this case, which at the time was set for September 14,1999:
The Court: Let's say that I take the position, agree with the State, deny the continuance in this kind of case and shortly you will find yourself standing in Tallahassee defending the decision. The Supreme Court going to even think twice or they going to continue the warrant, continue the hearing?
Ms. Dittmar [State]: Well, your hon- or, this is Carol Dittmar. I hesitate to speak for the Florida Supreme Court.
The Court: Well, I know that but I think you know what I'm asking is, you know.
Ms. Dittmar: I don't see there would be any major concerns. Obviously, they were aware of the execution date when they sent this back. They did not extend the stay. I'm sure they understood it would be difficult to be there. They also, I think, believe that with modern advances of technology we have telephones, we have potential for video tape deposition and I'm sure they felt like the parties could use those resources in order to get the hearing done.
The circuit court also made the following comments concerning its ability to stay these proceedings:
And I am concerned on the other hand we have time factors. They certainly indicated they want this done because they didn't extend their warrant date which they could certainly have stayed.
Well, I'm not so sure that I'm in a position to enter a stay. The Supreme Court obviously can, but they haven't done that. They know what the time frame is, so they hadn't set the time for a hearing, but it seems to me that if I issued one, obviously, it might not stick, even if you are right that I have the authority to do it. That doesn't mean that its going to prevail.
The court eventually denied the request for a continuance, offering instead to allow Dr. Fleming to testify by telephone.
Over the next three days, efforts were made by counsel for Provenzano and the State to contact Dr. Fleming at her conference in Wyoming. However, Dr. Fleming was not contacted until Thursday, September 2, the last day of the hearing. Dr. Fleming was unable to offer any substantive testimony regarding Provenzano's competency because she did not have the necessary notes and files with her. In this appeal, Provenzano claims that the circuit court abused its discretion by denying his motion for continuance. We agree.
While our opinion of August 26, 1999, did not stay the execution and left the circuit court uncertain regarding its authority to extend the stay, a continuance of the hearing until September 7, in order to allow Dr. Fleming to testify, would not in and of itself have interfered with the execution date of September 14. This would still have allowed the circuit court to enter an order on September 7 or shortly thereafter. If on appeal of the order this Court determined that it could not review the order within the time previously established, then we could have stayed the execution at that time. At oral argument, the State alleged that a defendant could delay an execution indefinitely simply by continually claiming that one witness is unavailable. However, the record in this case does not reflect such an effort by Proven-zano.
As stated by this Court in Gore v. State, 599 So.2d 978, 984 (Fla.1992), "the decision to grant or deny a continuance is within the sound discretion of the trial court." Thus, the question for this Court is whether the circuit court below abused its discretion when it denied Provenzano's motion for a continuance. We conclude that it did. This Court's opinion directing the circuit court to conduct the rule 3.812 hearing detailed the history of Provenza-no's incompetency claim. The opinion recognized that the evidence, which included expert reports from both parties, "created questions of fact on this issue." Provenzano, 751 So.2d at 40. The direction of this Court was clear — we wanted this matter to be "resolved in the crucible of an adversarial proceeding." Id. Because Dr. Fleming never testified, the purpose of our previous remand was never realized. Considering all of the factors in this case, including the request for a reasonable delay to hear the testimony of Dr. Fleming, who stated that she would be available on September 7, four days after the order was entered in this case, and the unsuccessful attempts to acquire Dr. Fleming's testimony via telephone, we find that the circuit court erred in denying Provenzano's motion for a continuance.
Our resolution of the first issue requires a remand for further proceedings. However, we address the other claims raised by Provenzano in order to offer guidance to the circuit court on remand. Provenzano claims that the circuit court erred by not finding Dr. Fleming to be an expert in clinical psychology. Dr. Fleming testified that she has a bachelor's, a master's and a doctoral degree in psychology. In its order, the circuit court stated:
Dr. Fleming's brief testimony established that while she has experience in mental health, she is not a clinical psychologist, at least not as that term is used in Florida. [Footnote: Dr. Fleming is an Ed.D., or doctor of education in psychology, not a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.] Accordingly, she was accepted as an expert in mental health, but not as an expert in clinical psychology.
It appears the circuit court based its decision on the fact that Dr. Fleming had an Ed.D. and not a Ph.D. However, section 490.003, Florida Statutes (1997), states in relevant part:
Definitions — As used in this chapter:
(3)(a) Prior to July 1, 1999, "doctoral-level psychological education" and "doctoral degree in psychology" mean a Psy. D., an Ed.D. in psychology, or a Ph.D. in psychology from:
1. An educational institution which, at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated, had institutional accreditation from an agency recognized and approved by the United States Department of Education or was recognized as a member in good standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada; and
2. A psychology program within that educational institution which, at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated, had programmatic accreditation from an accrediting agency recognized and approved by the United States Department of Education or was comparable to such programs.
(Emphasis added.) Thus, according to section 490.003, a "doctoral degree in psychology" includes an Ed.D. as well as a Ph.D. Further, section 394.455(2), Florida Statutes (1997), defines "clinical psychologist" as "a psychologist as defined in s. 490.003(7) with 3 years of postdoctoral experience in the practice of clinical psychology, inclusive of the experience required for licensure, or a psychologist employed by a facility operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that qualifies as a receiving or treatment facility under this part." Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines "clinical" as "involving the direct observation of the patient." Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 215 (10th ed.1994).
Dr. Fleming testified that she is a licensed psychologist in the state of Wyoming. Since 1978, she has been in a private practice with other psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors. She testified that her practice includes both clinical and forensic psychology.
"The determination of a witness's qualifications to express an expert opinion is peculiarly within the discretion of the trial judge, whose decision will not be reversed absent a clear showing of error." Ramirez v. State, 542 So.2d 352, 355 (Fla.1989). The circuit court below, as factfin-der, can determine the appropriate weight to be given to Dr. Fleming's testimony. See Charles W. Ehrhardt, Florida Evidence § 702.1, at 555 (1999 ed.). However, the circuit court's conclusion that Dr. Fleming was not an expert in clinical psychology goes to her qualifications. It appears that the circuit court either was not aware of or did not consider section 490.003 and section 394.455 when it concluded that Dr. Fleming was not an expert in clinical psychology. While we express no opinion regarding the weight to be given to Dr. Fleming's testimony, we find that Dr. Fleming qualifies as an expert in clinical psychology.
Provenzano also claims that Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.811 is unconstitutional. Provenzano alleges that the test for competency stated within the rule does not allow for the rational appreciation of the connection between the crime and the punishment. In Martin v. State, 515 So.2d 189, 190 (Fla.1987), this Court implicitly rejected this claim. Subsequent to this Court's decision in Martin, Martin sought relief in federal district court. In Martin v. Dugger, 686 F.Supp. 1523, 1572 (S.D.Fla.1988), aff'd, 891 F.2d 807 (11th Cir.1989). Judge King stated the following regarding the test to be applied to claims of incompetency to be executed:
While the condemned prisoner need not understand the nature of the collateral death penalty proceedings, the eighth amendment does require a limited factual understanding, which must be combined with an even more limited rational understanding.
. For this reason, courts have found that the rationality to be demonstrated "is that of an objective rationality what would be regarded as rational to the average person." [United States v. Blohm, 579 F.Supp. 495, 499 (S.D.N.Y.1983) ]. These authorities support the objective portion of the appreciation definition.
(Emphasis added.)
In its order, the circuit court in this cause recognized that rule 3.811 includes a rationality element:
The Court finds the standard set forth in rule 3.811(b), that the person must have the mental capacity to understand the fact of the impending execution and the reason for it, does allow for a prisoner's rational appreciation of the connection between his crime and the punishment he is to receive.
(Emphasis added.) However, when Pro-venzano attempted to cross-examine Dr. Leslie Parsons regarding Provenzano's rational understanding of the death penalty, the State objected, claiming that the question went beyond the legal definition of competency to be executed. This objection was sustained.
We agree with the circuit court that, pursuant to Judge King's opinion in Martin, the test for competency under rule 3.811 contains a rationality element, albeit a limited one. Thus, we find no merit to Provenzano's claim that rule 3.811 is unconstitutional. However, because the test includes a rationality element, Provenzano should be afforded the opportunity to cross-examine Dr. Parsons concerning Provenzano's rational appreciation of the connection between his crime and the punishment he is to receive.
Finally, Provenzano claims that rule 3.812 is unconstitutional. Provenzano asserts that the rule is unconstitutional because it creates the standard of proof of incompetency to be "clear and convincing" instead of the "by a preponderance of the evidence" standard announced in Cooper v. Oklahoma, 517 U.S. 348, 355, 116 S.Ct. 1373, 134 L.Ed.2d 498 (1996). We rejected this argument in Medina v. State, 690 So.2d 1241, 1246-47 (Fla.1997).
Accordingly, for the reasons stated in this opinion, we remand this case to the circuit court. The circuit court shall afford Provenzano a reasonable opportunity to present the testimony of Dr. Fleming. Dr. Fleming shall be accepted as an expert in clinical psychology. Further, counsel for Provenzano shall have the opportunity to cross-examine Dr. Parsons regarding Pro-venzano's rational appreciation of the connection between his crime and the punishment he is to receive. Finally, the circuit court may take any further steps which it deems appropriate consistent with rule 3.812. We stay Provenzano's execution, which was scheduled for September 24, 1999. After the hearing, if the circuit court determines that Provenzano is competent to be executed, the stay which we have granted will continue until 7 a.m. on the twenty-first day following the date of the circuit court's order. No motion for rehearing will be permitted.
It is so ordered.
HARDING, C.J., and PARIENTE, J., concur.
ANSTEAD, J., concurs specially with an opinion.
LEWIS, J., concurs specially with an opinion.
SHAW, J., concurs in result only.
WELLS, J., dissents with an opinion, in which QUINCE, J., concurs.
. Dr. Fleming practices in Cheyenne, Wyoming. However, the conference she was attending was located in Casper, Wyoming.
. We are aware of section 922.06, Florida Statutes (1997), which provides that a stay may be entered only by the Governor or incident to appeal. However, neither the State nor the circuit court referred to this statute as the reason for their concern about issuing a stay.
. While the record does not reflect the accreditation of the school where Dr. Fleming received her Ed.D., the State did not raise an objection to this issue.
. Dr. Parsons is one of the psychiatrists appointed by the Governor to examine Proven-zano regarding his competency to be executed.