STATE OF FLORIDA v. MOIZ GODIL (2017)

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.

STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellant, v. MOIZ A. GODIL, Appellee.

Case No. 5D16-488

Decided: February 24, 2017

Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Deborah A. Chance, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for Appellant. James S. Purdy, Public Defender, and Noel A. Pelella, Assistant Public Defender, Daytona Beach, for Appellee.

The State challenges the sentence imposed in this felony drug case in which the trial court withheld adjudication of guilt without placing Appellee on probation in violation of Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.670. Although Appellee properly concedes error on this point, he nevertheless argues that the judgment must be affirmed because the alteration of the sentence would violate constitutional double jeopardy principles. We reject Appellee's double jeopardy argument. Because Appellee had no legitimate expectation of finality in the sentence, the double jeopardy clause does not bar the correction of the illegal sentence. Dunbar v. State, 89 So. 3d 901, 905 (Fla. 2012).

On remand, the trial judge shall either adjudicate Appellee guilty or impose probation.

REVERSED AND REMANDED.

PER CURIAM.

ORFINGER, TORPY and BERGER, JJ., concur.

Was this helpful?

Why was this helpful?

Easy to understand

Solved my problem

Other

Why was this not helpful?

Missing the information I need

Too complicated / too many steps

Out of date

Other

Thank you for your feedback!

Trusted by Consumers. Recognized by AI.

As the largest network of trusted legal brands, we help firms build authority across the platforms consumers and AI systems rely on most. Our network helps attorneys strengthen visibility, credibility, and preference where legal decisions begin.

Explore the Network