Case Name: STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Christian COLITTO and Gisselle Somoza, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2006-05-17
Citations: 929 So. 2d 654
Docket Number: Nos. 4D05-635, 4D05-704
Parties: STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Christian COLITTO and Gisselle Somoza, Appellees.
Judges: STEVENSON, C.J., STONE, WARNER, POLEN, SHAHOOD, GROSS, TAYLOR, HAZOURI, and MAY, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 929
Pages: 654–664

Head Matter:
STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Christian COLITTO and Gisselle Somoza, Appellees.
Nos. 4D05-635, 4D05-704.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
May 17, 2006.
Charles J. Crist, Jr., Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Richard Valuntas, Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Jose Izquierdo of Bradford M. Cohen & Associates, Fort Lauderdale, for appellee Somoza.
Michael A. Gottlieb, Fort Lauderdale, for appellee Colitto.

Opinion:
KLEIN, J.
The issue we are resolving is whether two trash pulls, which revealed cannabis, provided probable cause for issuing a search warrant for defendants' home. The trial court concluded that the search warrant should not have been issued and suppressed the evidence. We reverse.
The affidavit on which the search warrant was based reflected that the Sunrise Police Department's narcotics unit had received information that Colitto and Somoza, who resided at a specified address, were involved in the trafficking of cocaine and cannabis. The affidavit did not show the source of the information. The officer conducted two trash pulls from curbside garbage cans, seven days apart, both of which revealed cannabis residue, seeds and stems. The trash bags from both pulls also contained mail addressed to defendants' residence. The search warrant was issued one week after the second trash pull and produced evidence which resulted in charges of trafficking in cocaine and possession of cannabis with intent to sell.
Defendants rely heavily on Raulerson v. State, 714 So.2d 536 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998); however, Raulerson is distinguishable in that there was only one trash pull in that case. We held that this was insufficient to indicate a fair probability that cannabis would be found in a search. We distinguished State v. Jacobs, 437 So.2d 166 (Fla. 5th DCA 1983), in which it was held that an affidavit based on two separate trash pulls was sufficient for probable cause. In Jacobs there was information received from a confidential source, and two trash pulls three weeks apart, both of which revealed cannabis. The trial court suppressed and the fifth district reversed, explaining:
The fact that marijuana and cannabis seeds were found on two separate occasions within one month's time suggests a continuing violation of the drug laws and indicates a "fair probability" that marijuana or cannabis would be found in the house. We conclude that the judge who issued the search warrant had a substantial basis for determining that probable cause existed and thus the court below erred in suppressing the evidence.
437 So.2d at 168.
Although in Raulerson we held that one trash pull based on an anonymous tip was insufficient, we have since found that a single trash pull combined with other information was sufficient. In Baker v. State, 762 So.2d 977 (Fla. 4th DCA 2000), an officer received an anonymous tip that cocaine was being sold in small clear plastic baggies tied with green twisties at the defendani/suspect's home. The caller then met-with the officer in person. A single trash pull then revealed cut plastic straws and plastic baggies, both of which contained cocaine traces, and green twisties. We held, even though there was only one trash pull, the fact that the clear baggies and green twisties were found was consistent with the specific information from the caller, and that there was probable cause for the search. Similarly, in State v. Mayes, 666 So.2d 165 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995), there was only one trash pull, but the police and a citizen had observed traffic to and from defendant's home at all hours. The court held that probable cause existed.
The dissent states that our standard of review is de novo. Where, as in this case, the only issue is the sufficiency of the facts set forth in an affidavit to support a search warrant, the standard of review was established in Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 236, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983):
Similarly, we have repeatedly said that after-the-fact scrutiny by courts of the sufficiency of an affidavit should not take the form of de novo review. A magistrate's "determination of probable cause should be paid great deference by reviewing courts." (citation omitted)
In addition, if the dissent is asserting that finding cannabis seeds and stems in the trash does not establish probable cause for trafficking in cannabis and cocaine, Gates does not require that specificity:
The task of the issuing magistrate is simply to make a practical commonsense decision whether, given all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit before him, including the "veracity" and "basis of knowledge" of persons supplying hearsay information, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place, (emphasis added.)
Gates, 462 U.S. at 238, 103 S.Ct. 2317. The issue before the magistrate was not whether there was probable cause that evidence of trafficking would be found, but whether there was probable cause that evidence of a crime would be found. See also § 933.18(5), Fla. Stat. (2003) (authorizing search warrants for private dwellings where "narcotics or drug abuse" laws are being violated).
Because the affidavit in this case did not describe the source of the information received by the police, we give it no more importance than an anonymous tip. We conclude, however, that this information and the two trash pulls within two weeks of the issuance of the warrant provided probable cause. Jacobs. We accordingly reverse the order of suppression.
STEVENSON, C.J., STONE, WARNER, POLEN, SHAHOOD, GROSS, TAYLOR, HAZOURI, and MAY, JJ., concur.
FARMER, J., dissents, in part II of which GUNTHER, J., concurs.
. Originally the appeals involving Somoza and Colitto, who are husband and wife, were separate cases assigned to different panels. The panel in Colitto affirmed without opinion on November 2, 2005; however, that opinion was withdrawn when the Somoza panel decided to reverse. We then consolidated the cases and resolved the conflict with this en banc opinion.