Title: James Russell Ward v. State of Florida
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC07-1868
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: March 19, 2009

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC07-1868 
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JAMES RUSSELL WARD,  
Petitioner, 
 
vs. 
 
STATE OF FLORIDA,  
Respondent. 
 
[March 19, 2009] 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
We have for review Ward v. State, 965 So. 2d 308 (Fla. 3d DCA 
2007), in which the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed the admissibility 
of a Department of Corrections release-date letter as a permissible means of 
establishing the defendant’s status as a prison-releasee reoffender.  See id. at 
309-11.  In the process, the Third District relied upon the reasoning and rule 
of law articulated in Yisrael v. State, 938 So. 2d 546 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006) 
(en banc), disapproved in part, 993 So. 2d 952 (Fla. 2008), and certified a 
question of great public importance.  See Ward, 965 So. 2d at 309-11.  We 
have jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. 
 
We stayed proceedings in this case pending our disposition of Yisrael, 
in which we:  (1) approved the decision of the First District in Gray v. State, 
910 So. 2d 867 (Fla. 1st DCA 2005), and (2) disapproved the reasoning and 
rule of law articulated by the Fourth District in its underlying decision, but 
ultimately approved the result reached by that court on other grounds.  See 
Yisrael v. State, 993 So. 2d 952, 960-61 (Fla. 2008).  We subsequently 
issued an order directing the State to show cause why we should not exercise 
jurisdiction, summarily quash the decision under review, and remand for 
reconsideration in light of our decision in Yisrael.  The State concedes that 
this case should be remanded for review pursuant to this Court’s decision in 
Yisrael, and petitioner Ward agrees with this concession.       
 
Accordingly, we grant the petition for review, quash, and remand to 
the Third District Court of Appeal for reconsideration upon application of 
our decision in Yisrael. 
 
It is so ordered. 
QUINCE, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, CANADY, POLSTON, and 
LABARGA, JJ., concur. 
 
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND 
IF FILED, DETERMINED. 
 
 
Application for Review of the Decision of the District Court of Appeal - Certified 
Great Public Importance 
 
 
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- 3 -
 
Third District - Case No. 3D05-685 
 
 
(Dade County) 
 
Carlos J. Martinez, Public Defender, and Marti Rothenberg, Assistant Public 
Defender, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami, Florida, 
 
 
for Petitioner 
 
Bill McCollum, Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida, Richard L. Polin, Bureau 
Chief and Rolando A. Soler, Assistant Attorney General, Miami, Florida, 
 
 
for Respondent