Court Opinion

ID: 9911628
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-12-20 16:03:47.602519+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:53:07.653513
License: Public Domain

DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
                                FOURTH DISTRICT

                       ARMANDO CLAYTON CABRERA,
                               Appellant,

                                        v.

                             STATE OF FLORIDA,
                                  Appellee.

                               No. 4D2022-3105

                              [December 20, 2023]

  Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, St. Lucie
County; William L. Roby, Judge; L.T. Case No. 562020CF001055A.

   Carey Haughwout, Public Defender, and Elijah Giuliano, Assistant Public
Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

   Ashley Moody, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Jeanine Germanowicz,
Assistant Attorney General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.

MAY, J.

    The defendant appeals an order revoking his community control and
sentencing him to thirty months in prison, with credit for 215 days served. He
argues the trial court erred in finding he violated certain conditions because
those conditions were not orally pronounced, or he was not yet required to
complete those conditions, among other reasons. We disagree and affirm the
trial court’s revocation of the defendant’s community control.

   The defendant also argues he is entitled to a reduction in prosecution costs.
Here, the defendant argues the State failed to request more than the statutory
$100 prosecution cost; the State admits it failed to request a greater sum. We
agree and reverse.

     Under section 938.27(8), Florida Statutes (2022), the cost of prosecution
cannot be less than $100 if a felony offense is charged, “including a proceeding
in which the underlying offense is a violation of probation or community control.”
“The [trial] court may set a higher amount upon a showing of sufficient proof of
higher costs incurred.” Id. But the State must request the cost of prosecution
if it is higher than the statutory minimum. See Bartolone v. State, 327 So. 3d
331, 336 (Fla. 4th DCA 2021).
   Here, the State neither requested nor submitted proof of prosecution costs
exceeding $100. We therefore reverse and remand the case to the trial court
with instructions to either reduce the prosecution cost to $100 or impose
additional costs if the State makes the request and provides sufficient proof.

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

DAMOORGIAN and FORST, JJ., concur.

                              *         *        *

   Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.