McKowen v. State, 5D02-2381.

Decision Date06 December 2002
Docket NumberNo. 5D02-2381.,5D02-2381.
Citation831 So.2d 794
PartiesJohn McKOWEN, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

John McKowen, Lake Butler, pro se.

No Appearance for Appellee.

PALMER, J.

John McKowen (defendant) appeals the summary denial of his rule 3.850 motion, in which he alleged that his no-contest plea was involuntarily entered. See Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.850. The motion alleged defendant's counsel had misadvised him as to the consequences of entering a plea in that counsel told him that the convictions resulting from the pleas could not be later considered as prior felonies for sentencing guideline purposes. We affirm.

Although the Florida Supreme Court recently held in Major v. State, 814 So.2d 424 (Fla.2002), that neither the trial court nor defense counsel possess a duty to advise a defendant that entry of a plea in a pending case may have sentencing consequences on sentences imposed for subsequently committed crimes, there is a split of authority among the district courts as to whether postconviction relief is available when counsel affirmatively misadvises a defendant that, if he enters a plea, his conviction could not be used in the future to enhance a sentence for a subsequently committed offense. The First, Second, and Third Districts have held that such a claim does not entitle a defendant to receive postconviction relief, while the Fourth District disagrees.

In Collier v. State, 796 So.2d 629 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001), the Third District explained that postconviction relief is not warranted under such circumstances because neither the trial court nor defense counsel is required to anticipate a defendant's recidivism, but instead, are entitled to assume that the defendant will obey the law in the future and not commit any more crimes. In addition, neither the court nor defense counsel is required to advise a defendant what penalty he may expect to receive from crimes not yet committed. In Bates v. State, 818 So.2d 626 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002), the First District held that a defendant is not entitled to receive a hearing on a claim of affirmative misadvice as to the potential of receiving enhanced penalties in the future, because granting such relief could be viewed as inviting recidivism, which is contrary to the purpose of the enhancement statutes. Similarly, in Stansel v. State, 825 So.2d 1007 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002), the Second District held that a defendant is not entitled to receive postconviction relief on a claim alleging misadvice concerning the consequences of a plea, noting that, unlike other collateral consequences such as deportation or gain time eligibility, the defendant can always avoid the future sentence-enhancing effects of a plea by obeying the law. In Scott v. State, 813 So.2d 1025 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002), the court held that a defendant is not...

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9 cases
  • Dickey v. State, Case No. 1D03-2489 (FL 2/15/2005), Case No. 1D03-2489.
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • February 15, 2005
    ...whether the defendant is given correct, or incorrect, advice regarding the possibility of enhanced punishment."); McKowen v. State, 831 So. 2d 794 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002)(denying relief because "[t]o rule otherwise would be to encourage recidivism and frustrate the purpose of the statutory sent......
  • Bates v. State
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • October 21, 2004
    ...held that such misadvice does not constitute ineffective assistance of counsel or render a plea involuntary. See McKowen v. State, 831 So.2d 794, 796 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002); Rhodes v. State, 701 So.2d 388, 389 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997); Stansel v. State, 825 So.2d 1007, 1010 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002). One c......
  • State v. Dickey
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • April 20, 2006
    ...sentence-enhancing consequences of a plea in the event that the defendant commits a new crime in the future."); McKowen v. State, 831 So.2d 794, 796 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002) (concluding "that a defendant is not entitled to receive postconviction relief based on a claim that he relied on the misa......
  • Hope v. State, 4D03-923.
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • June 15, 2005
    ...otherwise. See Stansel v. State, 825 So.2d 1007 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002); Scott v. State, 813 So.2d 1025 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002); McKowen v. State, 831 So.2d 794 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002). The Florida Supreme Court accepted review of Bates v. State, 818 So.2d 626, 631 (Fla. 1st DCA), rev. granted 832 So.2d ......
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