Case Name: Charlie DENMARK, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1989-01-27
Citations: 538 So. 2d 68
Docket Number: No. 88-521
Parties: Charlie DENMARK, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: SMITH, C.J., and ZEHMER, J., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 538
Pages: 68–71

Head Matter:
Charlie DENMARK, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 88-521.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Jan. 27, 1989.
Michael E. Allen, Public Defender and P. Douglas Brinkmeyer, Asst. Public Defender, Tallahassee, for appellant.
Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen. and Royall P. Terry, Jr., Asst. Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Charlie Denmark appeals from his convictions and sentences for three counts of attempted armed robbery, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of attempted kidnapping with a firearm, and nine counts of use of a firearm during commission of a felony. The issue is whether Denmark can be convicted and sentenced for both attempted armed robbery and aggravated assault and for both use of a firearm during commission of a felony and the underlying felonies (attempted armed robbery, aggravated assault and attempted armed kidnapping), when all offenses arose from the same criminal act, without violating double jeopardy principles. We reverse the aggravated assault and firearm convictions and remand for resentencing.
Denmark's convictions for both aggravated assault and attempted armed robbery, arising from the same criminal episode, are improper. Carawan v. State, 515 So.2d 161 (Fla.1987); Heath v. State, 532 So.2d 9 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988); Brown v. State, 529 So.2d 1247 (Fla. 4th DCA 1988); Hogan v. State, 529 So.2d 1127 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988); McKenney v. State, 529 So.2d 367 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988); Neal v. State, 527 So.2d 966 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988); Richardson v. State, 523 So.2d 746 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988); Wright v. State, 519 So.2d 1157 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988).
Denmark's convictions for both use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and the underlying felonies are also improper. Although the legislature has not expressly so stated, we find that the criminal statutes, read in pari materia, evidence a clear legislative intent not to impose multiple punishments for both the firearm charge and the underlying felony.
Specifically, section 775.087(1), Florida Statutes (1987), requires reclassification of a felony conviction, except a felony in which the use of a weapon or firearm is an essential element, when the defendant carries, displays, uses, threatens, or attempts to use any weapon or firearm during the commission of that felony. It is reasonable to conclude that, by excluding those felonies which do not include the use of a firearm or weapon as an essential element of the offense, the legislature intended to punish only once for the criminal act of carrying a weapon or firearm during the commission of a felony. A Carawan analysis is unnecessary in the face of this clear legislative intent.
In McKinnon v. State, 523 So.2d 1238 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988), this court held that the defendant could not be convicted and sentenced separately for the crime of using a firearm during the commission of a felony and the reclassified felony which included as one of its essential elements the use of a firearm. Attempted armed kidnapping as reclassified under 775.087, includes as one of its essential elements the carrying, display or use of a weapon or firearm. Attempted armed robbery includes, as an essential element, the carrying of a firearm or other deadly weapon. Aggravated assault includes, as an essential element, the use of a deadly weapon. Under McKin-non, Denmark could not be convicted and sentenced separately for the crime of using a firearm during the commission of a felony and for the underlying felonies because they included the use of a firearm as an essential element.
We REMAND with instructions to vacate the three aggravated assault convictions and the nine firearm convictions and to recalculate Denmark's sentence under the sentencing guidelines.
SMITH, C.J., and ZEHMER, J., concur.
BARFIELD, J., concurs in part and dissents in part, with written opinion.
. Section 812.13(1), Fla.Stat. (1987), defines "robbery" as: "the taking of money or other property which may 'be the subject of larceny from the person or custody of another when in the course of taking there is the use of force, violence, assault, or putting in fear." Section 812.13(2)(a), provides: "If in the course of committing the robbery the offender carried a firearm or other deadly weapon, then the robbery is a felony of the first degree...."
. Section 784.021(1), Fla.Stat. (1987), defines an "aggravated assault" as "an assault: (a) with a deadly weapon without intent to kill; or (b) with an intent to commit a felony."