State v. Cure, 99-2550.

Decision Date31 May 2000
Docket NumberNo. 99-2550.,99-2550.
Citation760 So.2d 243
PartiesThe STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Dylan Jo CURE, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General and Consuelo Maingot, Assistant Attorney General (Fort Lauderdale), for appellant.

Louis Casuso, Miami, for appellee.

Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and COPE and SHEVIN, JJ.

SCHWARTZ, Chief Judge.

The defendant made a "boot camp agreement" with the state and court which provided that he would be sentenced to 21-36 months in state prison if he violated its terms. In fact, he did breach the agreement by committing an aggravated battery, but, on the recommendation of both his probation officer and his boot camp supervisor, the trial court sentenced him only to a term of probation. On this appeal—the maintainability of which is in some doubt but will be assumed arguendo —the state contends that the agreement must be enforced as written. There is no merit whatever to this claim. Although the defendant could not complain if he had been sentenced as agreed, see Madrigal v. State, 545 So.2d 392 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989); Clark v. State, 651 So.2d 1309 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995)(while lie detector-sentencing agreement was initially unenforceable for lack of mutuality of obligation, state and court's performance rendered adverse terms binding on defendant), review denied, 660 So.2d 712 (Fla.1995), this does not mean that the state may interfere with or challenge an exercise of the trial court's sentencing discretion not to enforce it. See Clark, 651 So.2d at 1309; cf. Arriaga v. State, 666 So.2d 949 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996); Arriaga, 666 So.2d at 950 (Farmer, J., dissenting).

The state also rather offhandedly complains that the sentence of probation was improperly below the guidelines. While we might decline to consider the claim as insufficiently argued, it is, in any event, without substantial merit, because the prosecution itself offered a below guidelines sentence in return for the defendant's plea. In these circumstances, it is well settled that the court is free to make an even greater downward departure. See Franquiz v. State, 682 So.2d 536 (Fla.1996); State v. Devine, 512 So.2d 1163 (Fla. 4th DCA 1987), review denied, 519 So.2d 988 (Fla.1987); State v. Collins, 482 So.2d 388 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985).

Affirmed.

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4 cases
  • State v. Jordan
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • April 25, 2001
    ...1) our jurisdiction to entertain this appeal; and 2) whether the law requires that we recede from our opinion in State v. Cure, 760 So.2d 243 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000). For the reasons that follow, we conclude that this court does not have jurisdiction to consider this matter. Accordingly, we gran......
  • Lafave v. State
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • October 16, 2014
    ...agreement previously approved by the trial court. Id. at 1181. In expressly receding from its prior opinion in State v. Cure, 760 So.2d 243 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000),6 to the extent that it addressed the merits of the State's argument in Jordan, Judge Green, writing for the majority, acknowledged ......
  • State v. Swett
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • October 6, 2000
    ...the charge and accept a plea to the reduced charge. The supreme court approved the district court's analysis. See also State v. Cure, 760 So.2d 243 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000)(state cannot complain where trial court decides to ignore plea agreement and impose lesser sentence; no quid pro quo for agr......
  • State v. Aguilar, 3D99-1606.
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • December 13, 2000
    ...is within the sound discretion of the trial judge. See State v. Collins, 482 So.2d 388 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985); see also State v. Cure, 760 So.2d 243 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000). We can find no abuse of discretion on this Affirmed. 1.Gitto was subsequently disapproved in State v. Warner, 762 So.2d 507 (......

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