Case Name: Harvey Sylvester PORTER, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1956-04-18
Citations: 88 So. 2d 924
Docket Number: 
Parties: Harvey Sylvester PORTER, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: TERRELL, THOMAS and O’CON-NELL, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 88
Pages: 924–927

Head Matter:
Harvey Sylvester PORTER, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Supreme Court of Florida. En Banc.
April 18, 1956.
On Rehearing July 25, 1956.
Clarence J. Stokes, Sr., and Thomas H. Stokes, Sarasota, for appellant.
Richard W. Ervin, Atty. Gen., and Joseph P. Manners, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

Opinion:
ROBERTS, Justice.
Appellant was convicted of manslaughter for causing the death of a human being by culpable negligence in the operation of his automobile, and has appealed from the judgment of conviction. The point for determination on this appeal is the sufficiency of the evidence to support the conviction.
The accident resulting in the death of the decedent occurred at 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning at a street intersection on the outskirts of the city of Bradenton, but apparently outside the city limits. The appellant was proceeding north on a street which was well marked with "stop" signs prior to its intersection with the street upon which the decedent was travelling in a westerly direction, and which was marked only with a "slow" sign. The right front of appellant's car collided with the left front and side of the decedent's car. There was ample evidence from which the jury could find that the appellant was driving at the rate of 60 or 65 miles per hour and did not stop before entering the intersection.
"Culpable negligence", within the meaning of our manslaughter statute, Section 782.07, Fla.Stat.1953, F.S.A., means negligence of "a gross and flagrant character, evincing reckless disregard of human life or of the safety of persons exposed to its dangerous effects; or that entire want of care which would raise the presumption of indifference to consequences; or such wantonness or recklessness or grossly careless disregard of the safety and welfare of the public, or that reckless indifference to the rights of others, which is equivalent to an intentional violation of them." Savage v. State, 152 Fla. 367, 11 So.2d 778, 779.
While excessive speed alone is not sufficient to support a conviction of manslaughter by culpable negligence, Maxey v. State, Fla., 64 So.2d 677; Smith v. State, Fla., 65 So.2d 303, we think that appellant's action in "running" a stop sign at a high rate of speed was, in the circumstances shown by this record, negligence of a "gross and flagrant character" within the definition of culpable negligence, quoted above.
Accordingly, the verdict and judgment of guilty of manslaughter should be and it is hereby
Affirmed.
TERRELL, THOMAS and O'CON-NELL, JJ., concur.
DREW, C. J., and HOBSON and THORNAL, JJ., dissent.