State v. Johnson

Full title: STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Brandy Lee JOHNSON, Appellee.

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

Date published: Aug 26, 2021

334 So. 3d 348 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2021)

Opinion

No. 1D20-2649

08-26-2021

STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Brandy Lee JOHNSON, Appellee.

Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Trisha Meggs Pate and Adam B. Wilson, Assistant Attorneys General, Tallahassee, for Appellant. Jessica J. Yeary, Public Defender, and Lori A. Willner, Assistant Public Defender, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

Ray, J.

Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Trisha Meggs Pate and Adam B. Wilson, Assistant Attorneys General, Tallahassee, for Appellant.

Jessica J. Yeary, Public Defender, and Lori A. Willner, Assistant Public Defender, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

Ray, J.

The State of Florida challenges the trial court's order granting Brandy Lee Johnson's motion for discharge based on the State's failure to file an information within 175 days of her arrest, thereby violating her speedy trial rights. Below and on appeal, the State argued that the delay was permissible under the Florida Supreme Court's administrative orders suspending all speedy trial time periods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^* Johnson countered that the supreme court only intended to suspend the speedy trial periods pertaining to in-person proceedings, not the time for investigating or filing an information. During the pendency of this appeal, this Court decided Smith v. State , 310 So. 3d 1101 (Fla. 1st DCA 2020). Smith held that the supreme court's administrative orders suspended all time periods pertaining to the speedy trial procedure, including the time for the State to file or amend an information. Id. at 1103. Thus, pursuant to Smith , we reverse.

* See Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-13 (Fla. Mar. 13, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-17 (Fla. Mar. 24, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23 (Fla. Apr. 6, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 1 (Fla. May 4, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 2 (Fla. May 21, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 3 (Fla. June 8, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 4 (Fla. June 16, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 5 (Fla. July 2, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 6 (Fla. Aug. 12, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 7 (Fla. Oct. 2, 2020); Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-23, Amend. 8 (Fla. Nov. 23, 2020).

REVERSED and REMANDED for further proceedings.

Makar and M.K. Thomas, JJ., concur.