Case Name: Walter Lee RATLIFF, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1996-03-05
Citations: 668 So. 2d 1090
Docket Number: No. 95-267
Parties: Walter Lee RATLIFF, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: BOOTH, BENTON and VAN NORTWICK, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 668
Pages: 1090–1091

Head Matter:
Walter Lee RATLIFF, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 95-267.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
March 5, 1996.
Nancy A. Daniels, Public Defender, and Phil Patterson, Public Defender, Tallahassee, for Appellant.
Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, and Douglas Gurnie, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Legal Affairs, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Walter Lee Ratliff appeals his conviction for burglary of a dwelling, arguing that the building in question, a newly built but unoccupied home, was not a dwelling for purposes of section 810.02(3), Florida Statutes. See § 810.011(2), Fla.Stat. We reject this argument and affirm the conviction based on the holding in Perkins v. State, 630 So.2d 1180 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994), cause dismissed, reh'g granted, No. 86,248, — So.2d — (Fla. Dec. 20, 1995). As in Perkins, we certify to the Supreme Court the following question of great public importance:
DO THE 1982 AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 810, FLORIDA STATUTES, SUPERSEDE THE COMMON-LAW DEFINITION OF A DWELLING, WHEREBY A STRUCTURE'S DESIGN OR SUITABILITY FOR HABITATION, RATHER THAN ACTUAL OCCUPANCY OR INTENT TO OCCUPY, IS CONTROLLING IN DETERMINING WHETHER A STRUCTURE CONSTITUTES A DWELLING.
AFFIRMED.
BOOTH, BENTON and VAN NORTWICK, JJ., concur.