Case Name: Michael Alan McEACHERN, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1997-11-20
Citations: 701 So. 2d 865
Docket Number: No. 89859
Parties: Michael Alan McEACHERN, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent.
Judges: KOGAN, C.J., OVERTON, HARDING, WELLS and ANSTEAD, JJ., and GRIMES, Senior Justice, concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 701
Pages: 865–866

Head Matter:
Michael Alan McEACHERN, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent.
No. 89859.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Nov. 20, 1997.
James B. Gibson, Public Defender and Dee Ball, Assistant Public Defender, Seventh Judicial Circuit, Daytona Beach, for Petitioner.
Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General and Ann M. Childs, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for Respondent.

Opinion:
SHAW, Justice.
We have for review State v. McEachern, 700 So.2d 1 (Fla. 5th DCA 1997), wherein the court certified the following question:
IS A SENTENCE ENTIRELY SUSPENDED ON THE CONDITION THAT THE DEFENDANT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE COMMUNITY CONTROL AN ILLEGAL SENTENCE AS CONSTI TUTING AN UNAUTHORIZED SENTENCING ALTERNATIVE WHICH MAY BE APPEALED BY THE STATE AND VACATED ON DIRECT APPEAL?
We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. We quash McEachern based on State v. Powell, No. 89,964, — So.2d -, 1997 WL 718233 (Fla. Nov. 20, 1997), wherein we held that as long as there exists a valid reason for a downward departure, a trial court may impose a true split sentence in which the entire period of incarceration is suspended.
It is so ordered.
KOGAN, C.J., OVERTON, HARDING, WELLS and ANSTEAD, JJ., and GRIMES, Senior Justice, concur.