JOSHUA MICHAEL WILLIAMS
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
A trial court's denial of a Rule 3.800(c) sentence modification motion based on the erroneous conclusion that the defendant entered a negotiated plea, when the record shows an open plea, must be quashed and remanded for consideration on the merits.
[1] A trial court's denial of a sentence modification motion under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(c) based on an erroneous factual finding regarding whether the def…
Previewing 1 of 1 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“However, the trial court was mistaken as Williams entered an open plea rather than a negotiated plea. Particularly, the record shows that the trial court refused to accept a negotiated plea as provided in the plea and sentencing transcript.”
Court's explanation of the trial court's error in characterizing the plea
Joshua Williams sought review of an order denying his motion for sentence modification under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(c). The trial co…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Certiorari Review Standard cases and more on FLexlaw
FIFTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
__________________________________
Case No. 5D2024-1199 LT Case No. 2023-CF-6486-A __________________________________
JOSHUA MICHAEL WILLIAMS,
Petitioner,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Respondent. _______________________________
Petition for Certiorari Review of Order from the Circuit Court for Duval County. London Mahogany Kite, Judge.
Ryan Edward McFarland, of Kent & McFarland Attorneys at Law, Jacksonville, for Petitioner.
James Uthmeier, Attorney General, and Michael McDermott, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Respondent.
June 27, 2025
PER CURIAM.
By petition for writ of certiorari, Joshua Williams seeks review of an order denying his motion for sentence modification pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(c). The trial court, under the authority of Adams v. State, 118 So. 3d 930, 931 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013), denied Williams’ motion based on its
2 conclusion that Williams had entered a negotiated plea with the State, and therefore, the trial court did not reach the merits of the motion. However, the trial court was mistaken as Williams entered an open plea rather than a negotiated plea. Particularly, the record shows that the trial court refused to accept a negotiated plea as provided in the plea and sentencing transcript. Because the trial court did not reach the merits of the motion, we quash the circuit court’s order and remand the matter for reconsideration on its merits. See Summers v. State, 397 So. 3d 768 (Fla. 5th DCA 2024); Evans v. State, 691 So. 2d 63 (Fla. 5th DCA 1997).
ORDER QUASHED and REMANDED with instructions.
LAMBERT, EISNAUGLE, and BOATWRIGHT, JJ., concur.
_____________________________
Not final until disposition of any timely and authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or 9.331. _____________________________
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Authorities Cited
- Marcellus Evans v. State, 691 So. 2d 63 (Fla. 5th DCA 1997)
- Bodoy v. State, 118 So. 3d 930 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013)