Case Name: Frank DELOACH, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2005-10-03
Citations: 911 So. 2d 888
Docket Number: No. 1D05-0676
Parties: Frank DELOACH, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: BENTON, POLSTON and HAWKES, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 911
Pages: 888–889

Head Matter:
Frank DELOACH, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 1D05-0676.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Oct. 3, 2005.
Robin Miller, Esquire, Ft. Walton Beach, for Appellant.
Charlie Crist, Attorney General, and Trisha Meggs Pate, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Appellant challenges the denial of his motion to disqualify the trial judge. We reverse. At the hearing, a point in contention was whether the Appellee's witness qualified as an expert. Before the hearing, the court sua sponte informed Appellant that, during an ex parte meeting, it had advised the Appellee's witness regarding the steps he needed to take to qualify as an expert, and offered to recuse himself. When Appellant accepted the offer to disqualify, the trial judge should have fulfilled the offer. The restitution order as to at torney's fees is REVERSED, and the case remanded for rehearing before a different judge.
BENTON, POLSTON and HAWKES, JJ., concur.