State v. Williams

In the case before us the State is appealing the imposition of a downward departure sentence that was imposed after Appellee pled no contest to charges in several cases. We reverse.

Appellee’s Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet recommended a lowest permissible sentence of 74.7 months’ imprisonment, but the trial court sentenced Ap-pellee to concurrent terms of 60 months’ imprisonment. “Pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.703(d)(30)(A), the court must orally announce the reasons for departure and accompany the oral pronouncement with a written statement, outlining those reasons.”…