IN RE ORDER ON MOTIONS TO WITHDRAW FILED BY TENTH CIRCUIT PUBLIC DEFENDER

The Public Defender of the Tenth Judicial Circuit has filed motions entitled “Certification of Conflict and Motion to Withdraw Due to Excessive Caseload and Motion for Writ of Mandamus”.

The motions allege a backlog of 286 unassigned cases which have not been briefed within the time periods set forth in the Florida Appellate Rules.

It is further alleged that the backlog has been caused by an increasing caseload and insufficient funding.

The motions seek immediate withdrawal from 143 of these cases (proportionately distributed from 12 counties within this district) and states that the remainder will be assigned to and handled by movant’s staff.

Pursuant to In re Order on Prosecution of Criminal Appeals by the Tenth Judicial Circuit Public Defender, 561 So. 2d 1130 (Fla.1990) we have examined the motions and, based upon the representations of the public defender, found a prima facie showing that there is a conflict of interest because of excessive caseload.

We, therefore, grant the request of the Tenth Circuit Public Defender’s office and remove that office from representing the appellant’s in the 143 cases attached to this order. The Public Defender of the Tenth Judicial Circuit shall continue to monitor these cases but have no responsibility in helping to prepare the appellants’ briefs.

Jurisdiction is relinquished in these cases for the appointment of substitute counsel by the respective circuit courts on or before the thirty days from the date of this order. In the orders of appointment, it shall be provided that counsel shall file the briefs within thirty days.

The Public Defender’s motions also state that “the current rate of incoming records may require additional motions to withdraw in the future”.

This court’s consideration of the prosecution of appeals by the public defender has a long history.

See In Re Order, supra, at p. 1133.

In deciding these motions, we have generally taken the representations and the conclusions of the movant at face value.

However, we are increasingly concerned about our role as a factfinder in deciding these motions and especially in such matters as public defenders staffing standards, adequacy of funding, etc.

In Re Order, supra, allows this court to order circuit courts to handle these motions and this court will likely exercise that option on any future motions filed here.

RYDER, A.C.J., and DANAHY, CAMPBELL, FRANK, HALL, THREADGILL, PATTERSON, ALTENBERND and BLUE, JJ., concur. SCHOONOVER and PARKER, JJ., dissent without opinion.

Attachment In The District Court of Appeal of Florida Second District Darren Jones, Case No. 92-2649 Patrick Michael Kelly, 92-1369 Clarence Tillis, 92-2208 James John Huff, Case No. 92-2183 James Joseph Huff, 92-2452 Joe Tennie, 92-2441 Calvin Leon Webster, 92-2287 Lioneville Timar, Case No. 92-2056 Eulyn R. Wiggins, 92-2036 Jose Gonzalez, Case No. 92-0862 Nathaniel A. Dudley, Case No. 92-2369 Joseph Henry, 92-2259 Roy Screws, 92-2161 John C.

Wesley, 92-2181 Artis Lee Benton, Case No. 92-1617 Phyllis Comer, 92-1966 Glenn Dell, 92-1863 Tony Lathan, 92-2716 Samuel Maybin, 92-2711 Reginald Demond Mayes, 92-2706 John É.

Oliver, 92-2409 Patrick W.

Taylor, 92-1855 Maurice Blue, Case No. 92-1868 Gabriel Bradley, 92-2350 Robert L.

Long, 92-1931 Bernard Newsome, 92-1792 Eddie Turner, 92-1861 Jerome Gavin, 92-2194 Ralph Peyton, Case No. 92-1564 Carl Stiles, 92-0339 Tyrone Marcus Williams, 92-1696 Donny Woods, 92-2297 Matthew Howell, 92-2464 Donald Schofield, 92-2443 John Henry Barry, Case No. 92-0343 Jack Bruce, 92-1360 Alvin Clark, 92-1475 Todd Denooyer, 92-2210 Thomas Dixon, 91-4209 Willie Ledbetter, 91-3369 Enrique Marrero, 92-2014 Darrell Ridley, 92-1958 James Toivonen, 91-3689 Paris Varner, 92-2084 Robert Wiggin, 92-1986 Toney Abies, 92-2102 Timothy Brian Bova, 92-1914 George Cherryhomes, 92-2588 Alex Ruiz, 92-0747 Andre Scruggs, 92-2913 Dexter Surrency, 92-1934 Jimmy Lee Swain, 92-1976 Wayne Thompson, 92-2366 Joshua Walther, 92-1930 Anthony D.

Williams, 91-3832 Oscar Beasley, Case No. 92-0110 Allen Billups, 92-1021 Mario Coll, 92-0725 Johnny Foster, 92-1896 Greg Goode, 91-4204 Anthony Harris, 92-2093 Steve Kelly Harris, 92-0267 Tammy Henderson, 92-1001 Vinston Larrimore, 92-0564 Norman Lindo, 92-1066 Darrell Livingston, 92-1518 Bernard Malphus, 91-1442 Ronald Martin, 92-0826 Joseph Mario Mize, 92-1414 Ronald L.

Morris, 91-4057 Michael Pierce, 92-2238 Joseph B.

Rodriguez, 92-1145 Danny Harold Rolling, 91-3694 Terry Saffold, 91-0947 Richard F. Saliga, 92-1460 Christopher Deshon Sesler, 92-1477 Michael Smith, 92-0478 Brian Karl Tichy, 92-0118 Tony Wallace, 92-0846 Jerome Yates, 92-1148 Lawrence Adams, 92-2673 George David Albach, 92-1957 Attachment Gerald Alexander, 92-1165 Anthony Alloe, 92-1431 Nathaniel Anderson, 92-2218 Henry Bogan, 92-1164 Marcus Brown, 92-1059 Michael James Ciccarelli, 92-0458 Joel Edwards, 92-0156 Ronald Gilmore, 92-1205 David Gore, 91-3439 Felipe Grifaldo, 92-1974 Dvonn Hardick, 91-2717 James William Karsten, 92-1115 Harry Francis Kennedy, 91-4086 Eddie Lee McCullough, 92-1582 Sedrick McKinney, 92-0829 Joseph McMahon, 92-1742 Freddie Nesmith, 92-0717 Jared E.

Pauley, 92-1160 Edward Prendes, 92-1011 Michael Anthony Ricks, 91-3345 Anthony Siders, 92-1848 Gregory A. Tomengo, 92-2647 David Eugene Tucker, 91-3278 Donny Lamar Viverette, 91-3494 Ronnie Walker, 92-2260 Andre Williams, 91-3919 John Henry Williams, 92-1427 Ronald Dale Williams, 91-1327 Taft Ellis Woodard, 92-0121 Derrick Young, 91-4246 Jeffrey Young, 92-1860 Nemencio Alvarez-Navarro, Case No. 92-2211 Randy Crosby, 92-1926 Daniel Forestner, 92-2671 Kelly Jordan, 92-2305 Errol Dwight Brooks, Case No. 91-4090 Jerry L.

Barr, 92-0680 Jimmy Lee Crews, 91-3415 Earnest Foster, 92-1981 Gregory Green, 92-1245 Larry James, 92-1221 James Lamar Johnson, 92-1287 Walter G.

Meadows, 92-2460 Marvin Mitchell, 92-0128 Douglas Mosely, 92-2120 Robert L.

Owens, 91-3944 Tommy 0.

Potts, 92-0355 Scott Rolfe, 92-2059 Lonnell Corris Stephens, 92-1216 Rick Lee Brandenburg, 92-2469 Steven Glenn, 92-2052 Michael Edward Howarth, 92-1619 Tommy Lee Powell, 92-2491 Derek Edward Seymour, 92-2352 Richard Leroy Shanks, 92-1853 Stephen Wayne Sharpe, 92-2662 Johnny Simon, 92-2329 Michael Smith, 92-2275 Paul Matthew Stevens, 92-2823 James W.

Strickland, 92-2322 Gary Raymond Suit, 92-2451