The State of Fla. v. HUERTA

Decision Date23 June 2010
Docket NumberNo. 3D09-1106.,3D09-1106.
PartiesThe STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Pompeyo F. HUERTA, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

OPINION TEXT STARTS HERE

Bill McCollum, Attorney General, and Nicholas Merlin, Assistant Attorney General, for appellant.

Pompeyo F. Huerta, in proper person.

Before COPE, SHEPHERD and SUAREZ, JJ.

COPE, J.

This is a State appeal of an order resentencing defendant-appellee Pompeyo F. Huerta on the basis of the defendant's motion to correct illegal sentence under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a). As the defendant was not entitled to that relief, we reverse the resentencing order.

In 1990, the defendant entered into a plea agreement whereby he pled guilty to the reduced charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon (count one), armed robbery with a deadly weapon (count two), and armed burglary with a deadly weapon (count three). Pursuant to the agreement, the trial court sentenced the defendant to fifty-nine years on each count, with all sentences to be concurrent. *

In 2008, the defendant filed his motion to correct illegal sentence. He alleged that the sentence on each count exceeded the legal maximum. The trial court denied the motion as to count one, but granted the motion for counts two and three. The court entered corrected sentences on counts two and three which reduced the sentences on those counts to thirty years. The State has appealed.

In his answer brief in this court, the defendant's sole argument is that the State's appeal is untimely. The order granting the motion to correct illegal sentence was entered on February 10, 2009. The corrected sentences were filed April 8, 2009. The State's notice of appeal was filed on April 21, 2009. The notice of appeal is clearly timely with respect to the sentencing order.

The defendant argues, however, that the State was required to file a timely notice of appeal with regard to the February 10 order granting the Rule 3.800(a) motion. No timely notice of appeal was filed with regard to that order. The defendant contends that the February 10 order was the relevant one, and that the State's appeal to this court must be dismissed as untimely.

We reject the defendant's argument. The Fourth District has said that in this situation, the judicial labor is not completed until the defendant is resentenced.

State v. Delvalle, 745 So.2d 541, 542 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999). The time for appeal did not begin to run until the resentencing order was entered. The appeal is timely.

Turning to the merits, we agree with the State that the trial court was in error in granting relief on counts two and three. Count two was armed robbery with a deadly weapon, a knife, in violation of section 812.13, Florida Statutes (1989). Robbery with a deadly weapon is a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life imprisonment. Id. § 812.13(2)(a). Accordingly, fifty-nine years is a legal sentence for count two.

Count three was armed burglary of an occupied conveyance with a knife. The offense of armed burglary of an occupied conveyance is a first-degree felony punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life. Id. § 810.02(2)(b). A fifty-nine-year sentence is within the legal maximum.

The defendant also complained that his sentences were in excess of the guidelines maximum. We agree with the trial court in rejecting that claim, although our reasons differ from those of the trial court. First, where there is a plea agreement on the conviction and length of sentence to be imposed, in this case fifty-nine years, the sentencing guidelines are not applicable. Quarterman v. State, 527 So.2d 1380, 1382 (Fla.1988); see also Maddox v. State, 760 So.2d 89, 107 (Fla.2000). Second, the defendant maintains that his sentences exceed the guidelines maximum. Such a claim...

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9 cases
  • Morgan v. State
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • 3 Noviembre 2022
    ...argument. 293 So. 3d at 1083-84. The court also cited the decisions of the Third District Court of Appeal in State v. Huerta , 38 So. 3d 883, 884-85 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010), and the Fourth District Court of Appeal in State v. Delvalle , 745 So. 2d 541, 542 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999), both of which held......
  • Morgan v. State
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • 3 Noviembre 2022
    ... ...           PER ... CURIAM ...          We have ... for review Morgan v. State , 293 So.3d 1081 (Fla. 2d ... DCA 2020), in which the Second District Court of Appeal held ... that an order granting a rule 3.800(a) [ 1 ] motion and ... 293 So.3d ... at 1083-84. The court also cited the decisions of the Third ... District Court of Appeal in State v. Huerta , 38 ... So.3d 883, 884-85 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010), and the Fourth District ... Court of Appeal in State v. Delvalle , 745 So.2d 541, ... ...
  • Morgan v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 3 Abril 2020
    ...resentenced," such that "[t]he time for appeal d[oes] not begin to run until the resentencing order [i]s entered." State v. Huerta, 38 So. 3d 883, 884-85 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010) ; see also Adams v. State, 949 So. 2d 1125, 1126 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007).The conclusions in Rudolf, Huerta, and Delvalle ar......
  • SEIDMAN v. BANCO ESPIRITO SANTO Int'l, 3D09-324
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • 23 Junio 2010
    ... ... Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.270(b); Roseman v. Town Square Ass'n, 810 So.2d 516 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001). The salutary objectives of judicial economy (no phase II damages trial is required ... Stoll v. State, 762 So.2d 870, 876 (Fla.2000) (citation omitted). [T]here has been a seemingly widespread but ... ...
  • Request a trial to view additional results
2 books & journal articles
  • Appeals
    • United States
    • James Publishing Practical Law Books The Florida Criminal Cases Notebook. Volume 1-2 Volume 1
    • 30 Abril 2021
    ...until the resentencing occurs, and the time for filing an appeal does not begin until the new sentence is issued. State v. Huerta, 38 So. 3d 883 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010) A trial court is not permitted to “interpret” an appellate court’s mandate in a logical fashion. The court cannot deviate from ......
  • Post-conviction relief
    • United States
    • James Publishing Practical Law Books The Florida Criminal Cases Notebook. Volume 1-2 Volume 1
    • 30 Abril 2021
    ...until the resentencing occurs, and the time for filing an appeal does not begin until the new sentence is issued. State v. Huerta, 38 So. 3d 883 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010) POST-CONVICTION RELIEF 9-17 Post-Conviction Relief: 3.800(a) Motions: Illegal Sentences 9.3 Defendant pled and was placed on co......

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