Case Name: The STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Eddie SIMMONS, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2006-12-06
Citations: 944 So. 2d 1122
Docket Number: No. 3D05-1437
Parties: The STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Eddie SIMMONS, Appellee.
Judges: Before COPE, C.J., and FLETCHER and ROTHENBERG, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 944
Pages: 1122–1131

Head Matter:
The STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Eddie SIMMONS, Appellee.
No. 3D05-1437.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Dec. 6, 2006.
Charles J. Crist, Jr., Attorney General, and Douglas J. Glaid, Assistant Attorney General, for appellant.
Bennett H. Brummer, Public Defender, and Roy A. Heimlich, Assistant Public Defender, for appellee.
Before COPE, C.J., and FLETCHER and ROTHENBERG, JJ.

Opinion:
FLETCHER, J.
Pursuant to mandate from the Florida Supreme Court, the trial court held an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the identity of a confidential informant used by the State herein was required to be disclosed, and whether the State was able to produce the informant. Eddie Simmons was charged with selling cocaine on April 4, 2002 to an undercover officer and was further charged with the intent to sell, manufacture, or deliver cocaine on April 5, 2002, as well as being charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
APRIL h, 2002
The informant's interaction with the April 4 events leading to the charge of that date was limited to the informant's pointing out the drug sale location (a house), and the informant's greeting the drug seller at that house just prior to the "hand to hand" transaction. The trial court found that "[t]he informant had an ample opportunity to observe the person who sold drugs" to the undercover police officer. As Simmons' defense to the April 4 charge was misidentification, the trial court concluded that the informant was a material witness on the issue of the identity of the drug seller, thus the informant's identity had to be disclosed.
APRIL 5, 2002
With a search warrant in hand, on April 5, 2002, the police returned to the house where they found additional cocaine, a firearm, and Simmons. Additional charges on Simmons resulted. His defense to these charges was that he was present in the house as a guest when the drugs and firearm were found, but he had no knowledge of them or possessory interest in them.
Simmons sought disclosure of the confidential informant's identity in relation to these charges, as well as the April 4 charge. Simmons argued that the informant's expected testimony (that it was not Simmons who sold the cocaine on April 4) would bolster his assertions as to April 5 (that he was a guest and had no control over the seized items).
THE TRIAL COURT'S RULING
"The Court finds that the informant is a material witness on the issue of the identity of the drug seller, that the defense of misidentification is a bona fide defense, that disclosure of the informant's identity is required due to the defense asserted, and that the State is not able to produce such person. The Court dismisses the information.... "
We agree with the trial court's dismissal of the April 4 charge. We cannot agree with the trial court's dismissal of the charges as to April 5.
The United States Supreme Court, in Roviaro v. United States, 353 U.S. 53, 60-61, 77 S.Ct. 623, 1 L.Ed.2d 639 (1957), discussed fundamental fairness in relation to the prosecutorial privilege to withhold from disclosure confidential informants' identities: "Where the disclosure of an informer's identity, or of the contents of his communication, is relevant and helpful to the defense of an accused, or is essential to a fair determination of a cause, the privilege must give way."
The Florida Supreme Court, in Simmons v. State, 887 So.2d 1283, 1284 (Fla. 2004), citing Roviaro stated: "This privilege, however, must yield where the informant's identity is . essential to a fair determination of the cause at issue." Agreeing that the informant's identity is essential to a fair determination of the April 4 charge, we affirm the trial court's dismissal of the charge related to April 4.
However, as to the charges related to April 5 we reverse the dismissals. The informant was not involved with these charges. A misidentification on April 4 would not be a defense to the charges of April 5. The trial court thus abused its discretion by dismissing the April 5 charges.
Affirmed in part; reversed in part; and remanded for further proceedings consistent herewith.
COPE, C.J., concurs.
. Simmons v. State, 887 So.2d 1283 (Fla. 2004), rev'g 887 So.2d 355 (Fla. 3d DCA 2003).
. "Rulings as to the necessity of providing the names and addresses of witnesses for the defendant to have a fair trial are rulings which must of necessity rest upon the broad discretion of the trial court." State v. Jones, 247 So.2d 342, 343 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971).