Kalway v. State, 98-1390.

Decision Date05 May 1999
Docket NumberNo. 98-1390.,98-1390.
Citation730 So.2d 861
PartiesJames Robert KALWAY, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

James Robert Kalway, Appellant, Pro Se.

Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General; Charlie McCoy, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

PER CURIAM.

James Robert Kalway (Kalway) has appealed an order of the trial court dismissing Kalway's civil complaint for failure to comply with a case management order. The case management order required Kalway to file information showing activity in his prisoner bank/trust account pursuant to his request for indigency status. Kalway asserts, inter alia, that the requirement made necessary by section 57.085, Florida Statutes, is procedural and thus unconstitutional, because it violates the Florida constitutional requirement of strict separation of powers. Kalway further asserts that subjecting the funds in his prisoner trust account to be used for payment of court costs and fees violates his homestead exemption rights under Article X, section 4, of the Florida Constitution. We affirm.

The thrust of section 57.085 is undoubtedly substantive. The parties agree that the right of indigents to proceed without payment of court costs and fees is a matter of substantive law properly defined by the legislature. See Amos v. Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services, 416 So.2d 841, 842 (Fla. 1st DCA), review dismissed, 421 So.2d 517 (Fla.1982). A decision whether to subject a prisoner's trust account to payment of court costs and fees is clearly a subjective determination appropriately made by the legislature.

Nevertheless, we do find that section 57.085 contains directives, which are not binding on the supreme court, concerning the manner in which the substantive objectives are to be reached. Under the Florida Constitution, only the Florida Supreme Court has the power to adopt rules for the practice and procedure in all courts of this state. See Art. II, § 3, Fla. Const.; Markert v. Johnston, 367 So.2d 1003 (Fla.1978). The procedural aspects of the law under examination in this case are minimal and do not void the statute, because they are intended to implement the substantive provisions of the law. See Smith v. Department of Insurance, 507 So.2d 1080, 1092 (Fla.1987). That is, the procedural portions of section 57.085 do not appear to conflict with any existing court rule or procedure, and most especially they do not conflict with rule 2.030(b)(3) of the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, or rule 9.430 of the Florida Rules of...

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6 cases
  • Massey v. David
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • April 3, 2008
    ...unconstitutional where they are "minimal" and "are intended to implement the substantive provisions of the law." Kalway v. State, 730 So.2d 861, 862 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999); see also In re Commitment of Cartwright, 870 So.2d 152, 158 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004) ("[T]here are also circumstances where a l......
  • Thourtman v. Junior
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • June 12, 2019
    ...court shall adopt rules for the practice and procedure in all courts ...."); Art. II, § 3, Fla. Const. See also Kalway v. State, 730 So. 2d 861, 862 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999) (observing: "Under the Florida Constitution, only the Florida Supreme Court has the power to adopt rules for the practice ......
  • Peninsular Properties v. City of Bradenton
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • August 1, 2007
    ...are some substantive statutes that permissibly include procedural elements." Raymond, 906 So.2d at 1049 (citing Kalway v. State, 730 So.2d 861, 862 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999) (holding that when a statute has procedural elements, the court must then decide whether those elements impermissibly intru......
  • State v. Raymond, SC03-1263.
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • June 30, 2005
    ...court found in this case, there are some substantive statutes that permissibly include procedural elements. See Kalway v. State, 730 So.2d 861, 862 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999) (holding that when a statute has procedural elements, the court must then decide whether those elements impermissibly intru......
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