Court Opinion

ID: 9948163
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-06 16:06:45.604071+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:29:13.012580
License: Public Domain

DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
                             FOURTH DISTRICT

                        CHRISTOPHER L. KEE,
                             Appellant,

                                    v.

                          STATE OF FLORIDA,
                               Appellee.

                            No. 4D2022-0416

                             [March 6, 2024]

   Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit,
Martin County; Darren Steele, Judge; L.T. Case Nos. 43-2017-CF-000212,
43-2018-CF-001408, and 43-2020-CF-001070.

   Carey Haughwout, Public Defender, and Christine C. Geraghty and
Erika Elizabeth Follmer, Assistant Public Defenders, West Palm Beach, for
appellant.

   Ashley Moody, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Paul Patti, III, Senior
Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.

CONNER, J.

    The defendant appeals from a criminal judgment and sentence
following a plea agreement that resolved three felony cases. The defendant
raises six issues on appeal. We affirm the trial court’s rulings on five of
the issues without discussion. The defendant’s sixth issue argues the trial
court erred in imposing unauthorized prosecution costs in the three cases.
The issue was preserved by a Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure
3.800(b)(2) motion filed while this appeal was pending. The motion was
deemed denied when the trial court did not rule on the motion within sixty
days after it was filed. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.800(b)(2)(B).

   The state concedes the prosecution costs assessment of $200 should
be reduced to the statutory minimum of $100 because no evidence was
presented to support the higher amount and the trial court did not orally
pronounce the higher amount at sentencing. See § 938.27(8), Fla. Stat.
(2022). 1

   When the trial court fails to make the appropriate factual findings
regarding prosecution costs above the statutory minimum or orally
announce a higher amount at sentencing, prosecution costs will be
reduced to the mandatory minimum amount. Desrosiers v. State, 286 So.
3d 297, 300 (Fla. 4th DCA 2019); see also Briggs v. State, 936 So. 2d 789,
790 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006) (finding that the oral pronouncement controls
over the written sentence).

   As the state did not provide the required justification for higher costs
and the trial court did not orally pronounce the $200 amount, the order
imposing $200 in prosecution costs is reversed for each case, and we
remand the cases for the trial court to ministerially correct the error and
reduce the assessment for prosecution costs to $100. 2

   Affirm in part, reversed in part, and remanded with instructions.

KUNTZ and ARTAU, JJ., concur.

                              *          *          *

   Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

1 The statute provides: “Costs for the state attorney must be set in all cases at no

less than $50 per case when a misdemeanor or criminal traffic offense is charged
and no less than $100 per case when a felony offense is charged, including a
proceeding in which the underlying offense is a violation of probation or
community control. The court may set a higher amount upon a showing of
sufficient proof of higher costs incurred.” § 938.27(8), Fla. Stat. (2022).

2 The state did not request remand to allow a further hearing to seek prosecution

costs above the minimum.

                                         2