Opinion ID: 1151942
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: fieselman

Text: Fieselman was charged in county court with being in actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcoholic beverages. The county court dismissed the charge, and the state appealed to the circuit court, which reversed and remanded. Fieselman petitioned for writ of certiorari before the district court, which held that the decision was reviewable. The case was certified to us as being in conflict with Baker, wherein the court held that a district court should not review on certiorari a circuit court opinion reversing an order granting a motion to dismiss. This case presents the following issue: Is the decision of a circuit court reversing a county court's order granting a motion to dismiss reviewable on certiorari before a district court? We conclude that it is. No certiorari review may ordinarily be had of a trial court order denying a motion to dismiss because the party has available to it an eventual plenary appeal of the final judgment. See Martin-Johnson, Inc. v. Savage, 509 So.2d 1097 (Fla. 1987). This must be distinguished, however, from the situation where a county court grants a motion to dismiss and a circuit court, sitting in its appellate capacity, reverses. The decision of a trial court denying dismissal affects only the immediate parties and they can seek eventual redress through plenary appeal of the final judgment. When a circuit court reverses a county court order of dismissal, on the other hand, the circuit court is acting in its appellate capacity and its decision is binding on all county courts within the circuit. The decision thus affects parties outside the original litigation. We approve that portion of the decision in Fieselman that concerns certiorari review, and disapprove Baker. It is so ordered. SHAW, C.J., and McDONALD, EHRLICH, BARKETT, GRIMES and KOGAN, JJ., concur. OVERTON, J., concurs in result only.