JEAN COTY RIDORE v. THE STATE OF FLORIDA

• Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida
• Decided: May 3, 2023
• Docket: 22-2004
• Status: Published

Opinion

Third District Court of Appeal State of Florida

Opinion filed May 3, 2023. Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

________________

No. 3D22-2004 Lower Tribunal No. F15-20650 ________________

Jean Coty Ridore, Appellant,

vs.

The State of Florida, Appellee.

An appeal under Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.141(b)(2) from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Thomas J. Rebull, Judge.

Jean Coty Ridore, in proper person.

Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Richard L. Polin, Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.

Before SCALES, MILLER, and BOKOR, JJ.

MILLER, J. Appellant, Jean Coty Ridore, appeals the dismissal of his successive

motion for postconviction relief filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal

Procedure 3.850. In the motion, appellant asserted a myriad of errors at the

trial level and alleged that his appellate attorney “opted to raise a single issue

that was not properly preserved for appellate review and the issue was not

made part of the evidence/record while [he or she] totally ignored the issues

that were properly preserved.” It is axiomatic that a motion for postconviction

relief is not a second appeal and cannot be used to litigate issues that could

have been raised on direct appeal or in prior postconviction proceedings.

Smith v. State, 445 So. 2d 323, 325 (Fla. 1983) (“Issues which either were

or could have been litigated at trial and upon direct appeal are not cognizable

through collateral attack.”); Everett v. State, 928 So. 2d 1241, 1242 (Fla. 3d

DCA 2006) (“A defendant seeking postconviction relief is procedurally barred

from raising claims that he could have raised and should have raised on

direct appeal.”). Accordingly, we affirm without prejudice to any right

appellant may have to file a petition pursuant to Florida Rule of Appellate

Procedure 9.141(c), alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel.

Affirmed.