Stanley Peng v. State , 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 16047 ( 2016 )


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  •          IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
    FIFTH DISTRICT
    NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO
    FILE MOTION FOR REHEARING AND
    DISPOSITION THEREOF IF FILED
    STANLEY PENG,
    Appellant,
    v.                                                    Case No. 5D16-1480
    STATE OF FLORIDA,
    Appellee.
    ________________________________/
    Opinion filed October 28, 2016
    3.850 Appeal from the Circuit Court
    for Orange County,
    Heather L. Higbee, Judge.
    Thomas P. O'Connell, of Thomas P.
    O'Connell, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, for
    Appellant.
    Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General,
    Tallahassee, and Lori N. Hagan, Assistant
    Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for
    Appellee.
    EVANDER, J.
    Stanley Peng appeals the summary denial of his Florida Rule of Criminal
    Procedure 3.850 motion for postconviction relief. We find merit to one of the two issues
    raised on appeal.
    After the entry of a no contest plea, Peng was convicted of traveling to meet a
    minor for unlawful sexual activity in violation of section 847.0135(4), Florida Statutes
    (2010). As a consequence of his conviction, he was designated a sexual offender. In his
    postconviction motion, Peng claimed that his trial counsel affirmatively misadvised him
    that designation as a sexual offender, rather than as a sexual predator, would preclude
    his photograph from being posted on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s
    website. He further averred that but for this misadvice, he would have proceeded to trial.
    Although counsel is generally not required to advise a defendant of the collateral
    consequences of a plea, affirmative misadvice regarding collateral consequences may
    provide a basis for postconviction relief. See, e.g., Deck v. State, 
    985 So. 2d 1234
    , 1236
    (Fla. 2d DCA 2008) (holding that defendant’s allegation in postconviction relief motion
    that trial counsel affirmatively misadvised him of collateral consequences of his plea
    presented facially sufficient claim for postconviction relief; defendant’s motion alleged
    that, but for the misadvice, defendant would not have entered plea). Furthermore, a
    defendant’s reliance on trial counsel’s mistaken assurances that a conviction would not
    cause the defendant’s photograph to be placed on the Internet has been found to
    establish good cause for the withdrawal of a plea. See Graham v. State, 
    779 So. 2d 604
    ,
    605 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001).        On remand, the trial court must either attach records
    conclusively refuting this claim or hold an evidentiary hearing.
    We find the other issue raised by Peng to be without merit.
    AFFIRMED, in part; REVERSED, in part; REMANDED.
    BERGER and LAMBERT, JJ., concur.
    2
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 5D16-1480

Citation Numbers: 202 So. 3d 459, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 16047

Judges: Evander, Berger, Lambert

Filed Date: 10/28/2016

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 10/19/2024