Braggs v. State

815 So. 2d 657, 2002 WL 215474
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedFebruary 13, 2002
Docket3D99-2201
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 815 So. 2d 657 (Braggs v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Braggs v. State, 815 So. 2d 657, 2002 WL 215474 (Fla. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

815 So.2d 657 (2002)

Curley BRAGGS, Appellant,
v.
The STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. 3D99-2201.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.

February 13, 2002.

*658 Bennett H. Brummer, Public Defender, and Manuel Alvarez, Assistant Public Defender, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, and Paulette R. Taylor, Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.

Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and JORGENSON, COPE, LEVY, GERSTEN, GODERICH, GREEN, FLETCHER, SHEVIN, SORONDO, and RAMIREZ, JJ.

On Hearing En Banc

COPE, J.

In Delgado v. State, 776 So.2d 233 (Fla. 2000), the Florida Supreme Court modified its interpretation of the Florida burglary statute. The legislature thereafter enacted chapter 2001-58, Laws of Florida, which in section 1 states that Delgado had been decided contrary to legislative intent. In section 2, the legislature amended the burglary statute with respect to crimes committed after July 1, 2001.

*659 We took this case en banc to consider whether the effect of section 1 of chapter 2001-58 is to overturn Delgado. We conclude that the correct procedure is to follow Delgado and certify the question whether the Florida Supreme Court will adhere to Delgado in light of the enactment of chapter 2001-58, § 1, Laws of Florida. Hoffman v. Jones, 280 So.2d 431 (Fla.1973).

I.

Defendant was convicted of second degree murder, burglary with an assault, and armed robbery. The evidence showed that the defendant went to the home of an elderly relative, Ruby Stevenson, who had previously lent the defendant money. The physical evidence indicated that Ms. Stevenson voluntarily admitted the defendant to her home. Once inside, the defendant stabbed her to death, stole her jewelry and a bicycle, and left the house. The date of the crime was April 19, 1995.

Under the applicable version of the burglary statute, "`Burglary' means entering or remaining in a structure or a conveyance with the intent to commit an offense therein, unless the premises are at the time open to the public or the defendant is licensed or invited to enter or remain." § 810.02(1), Fla. Stat. (1993) (emphasis added).

As of the date of the defendant's crime, the burglary statute had been construed to mean that when a defendant enters a structure with the consent of the victim, and the defendant then commits a crime, the victim (upon becoming aware of the commission of the crime) "implicitly withdraws consent to the perpetrator's remaining in the premises." Ray v. State, 522 So.2d 963, 966 (Fla. 3d DCA 1988); see also Delgado, 776 So.2d at 238. Thus, under the established law at the time of defendant's crime, the burglary conviction in this case was proper.

In 2000, the Florida Supreme Court announced Delgado. In that decision it overruled Ray v. State and several of its own prior decisions interpreting the "remaining in" portion of the burglary statute. As reinterpreted in Delgado, "the `remaining in' language applies only in situations where the remaining in was done surreptitiously." 776 So.2d at 240. Because this defendant's appeal was pending at the time Delgado was announced, defendant is entitled to the benefit of the Delgado decision.[1]

The 2001 legislature disagreed with the Delgado decision and issued a statement of intent in chapter 2001-58, Laws of Florida, as follows:

Section 1. Section 810.015, Florida Statutes, is created to read:
810.015 Legislative findings and intent; burglary.—
(1) The Legislature finds that the case of Delgado v. State, Slip Opinion No. SC88638 (Fla.2000) was decided contrary to legislative intent and the case law of this state relating to burglary prior to Delgado v. State. The Legislature finds that in order for a burglary to occur, it is not necessary for the licensed or invited person to remain in the dwelling, structure, or conveyance surreptitiously.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the holding in Delgado v. State, Slip Opinion No. SC88638 be nullified. It is further the intent of the Legislature *660 that s. 810.02(1)(a) be construed in conformity with Raleigh v. State, 705 So.2d 1324 (Fla.1997); Jimenez v. State, 703 So.2d 437 (Fla.1997); Robertson v. State, 699 So.2d 1343 (Fla.1997); Routly v. State, 440 So.2d 1257 (Fla.1983); and Ray v. State, 522 So.2d 963 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1988). This subsection shall operate retroactively to February 1, 2000.
(3) It is further the intent of the Legislature that consent remain an affirmative defense to burglary and that the lack of consent may be proven by circumstantial evidence.

(Underlining in original).

The question for determination here is whether chapter 2001-58 has overruled Delgado. It has not.

II.

There is a preliminary question whether chapter 2001-58 applies to this defendant. The question arises because the Legislature indicated that its statement of intent (quoted above) "shall operate retroactively to February 1, 2000." Ch.2001-58, § 1, Laws of Fla. Since this defendant committed his crime in 1995, at first blush it would appear that chapter 2001-58 does not apply to him at all.

However, it is permissible to consider the legislative history of chapter 2001-58 to determine why the February 1, 2000 date was chosen. It turns out that the Delgado opinion was first released by the Florida Supreme Court on February 3, 2000. Delgado v. State, 25 Fla. L. Weekly S79 (Fla. Feb. 3, 2000).[2] It is evident the February 1 date was chosen in an effort to turn back the clock to the interpretation of the burglary statute as it existed two days prior to the original release of the Delgado opinion. As stated in the House of Representatives legislative history, "The purpose of this provision is to `resettle' the law with respect to pending burglaries and leave them undisturbed by the Delgado decision." House of Representatives Committee on Crime Prevention, Corrections & Safety Final Analysis, Bill No. HB953(PCB CPCS 01-03), June 26, 2001.

It is therefore clear that the statement of intent in chapter 2001-58 is meant to apply to pending cases, which would include the appeal now before us.[3]

III.

Turning to the merits, section 1 of chapter 2001-58 is simply a statement of intent. It expresses the view of the Legislature that Delgado was wrongly decided and should be nullified.

Under these circumstances, the statement of intent is properly viewed as being a statement directed to the Florida Supreme Court—which is the only body which can recede from Delgado. Unless and until the Florida Supreme Court overrules Delgado, we are obliged to follow it. Hoffman v. Jones, 280 So.2d at 433-34. Under Hoffman, the appropriate procedure for us to follow is to certify to the Florida Supreme Court the question whether the court will adhere to Delgado in view of section 1 of chapter 2001-58, Laws of Florida.

The State suggests that the Florida Supreme Court has already decided to recede from Delgado. The State relies on the *661 recent opinion in Jimenez v. State, 26 Fla. L. Weekly S 625, 2001 WL1130073 (Fla. Sept. 26, 2001).

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815 So. 2d 657, 2002 WL 215474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/braggs-v-state-fladistctapp-2002.