TAVARIS DONTE SERVANTS v. THE STATE OF FLORIDA ( 2022 )


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  •       Third District Court of Appeal
    State of Florida
    Opinion filed September 7, 2022.
    Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
    ________________
    No. 3D22-1309
    Lower Tribunal No. F19-10521
    ________________
    Tavaris Donte Servants,
    Petitioner,
    vs.
    The State of Florida,
    Respondent.
    A Case of Original Jurisdiction—Prohibition.
    Tavaris Donte Servants, in proper person.
    Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Michael W. Mervine, Chief
    Assistant Attorney General, for respondent.
    Before SCALES, MILLER, and GORDO, JJ.
    PER CURIAM.
    Denied. See Johnson v. State, 
    974 So. 2d 363
    , 364 (Fla. 2008)
    (“[C]riminal defendants have no right under the Sixth Amendment or under
    the Florida Constitution to engage in ‘hybrid representation’—that is, to
    simultaneously represent themselves and be represented by counsel.”);
    Salser v. State, 
    582 So. 2d 12
    , 14 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991) (citations omitted)
    (“[T]he defendant may have the right under certain circumstances to waive
    counsel and represent himself but the defendant has no right to be
    represented for the purposes that suit him and unrepresented for other
    purposes.    Courts in other jurisdictions we have identified that have
    considered this issue agree that such pro se motions are invalid.”); Harden
    v. State, 
    152 So. 3d 626
    , 627 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014) (“[A] pro se demand for
    speedy trial that has not been adopted by the defendant’s counsel cannot be
    entertained on the merits.”); State v. Templar-O’Brien, 
    173 So. 3d 1129
    ,
    1132 (Fla. 2d DCA 2015) (“A pro se notice of expiration of speedy trial period
    and a motion for discharge filed while represented by counsel are nullities,
    having no legal force or effect.”); Logan v. State, 
    846 So. 2d 472
    , 476 (Fla.
    2003) (“Only when a pro se criminal defendant is affirmatively seeking to
    discharge his or her court-appointed attorney have the courts of this state
    not viewed the pro se pleading in which the request to discharge is made as
    unauthorized and a ‘nullity.’”).
    2
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 22-1309

Filed Date: 9/7/2022

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 9/7/2022