Anthony S. Destefano v. State

• Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida
• Decided: August 13, 2018
• Docket: 5D18-1521
• Status: Published

Opinion

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA FIFTH DISTRICT

NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE MOTION FOR REHEARING AND DISPOSITION THEREOF IF FILED

ANTHONY S. DESTEFANO,

Appellant,

v. Case No. 5D18-1521

STATE OF FLORIDA,

Appellee.

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Opinion filed August 17, 2018

3.850 Appeal from the Circuit Court for Osceola County, Elaine A. Barbour, Judge.

Anthony S. Destefano, South Bay, pro se.

Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Marjorie Vincent-Tripp, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for Appellee.

PER CURIAM.

Anthony S. DeStefano appeals the summary denial of his motion for postconviction

relief filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850. We affirm as to Grounds

Two through Five. However, because the record does not conclusively refute

DeStefano’s claim that counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the prosecutor’s

comments on the law applicable to his sentencing, we reverse the summary denial of

Ground One and remand for attachment of portions of the record conclusively refuting that claim or for an evidentiary hearing. See Freeman v. State, 761 So. 2d 1055, 1061

(Fla. 2000) ("[A] defendant is entitled to an evidentiary hearing on a postconviction relief

motion unless (1) the motion, files, and records in the case conclusively show that the

prisoner is entitled to no relief, or (2) the motion or a particular claim is legally insufficient."

(citing Maharaj v. State, 684 So. 2d 726 (Fla. 1996))).

AFFIRMED in part, REVERSED in part, and REMANDED.

ORFINGER, BERGER, and EISNAUGLE, JJ., concur.