KANDACE M. WILLIAMS v. STATE OF FLORIDA

Kandace Williams (“appellant”) was charged with burglary of a structure. He appeals the trial court’s order accepting his plea of no contest and imposing a prison sentence. Prior to his plea, appellant was given the right to proceed pro se with the appointment of standby counsel. While the record reflects that appellant utilized the assistance of standby counsel when entering his plea, the court should have renewed the offer of counsel before sentencing. Therefore, we reverse.

During the plea colloquy, appellant stated that he was entering his plea freely and voluntarily. Appellant confirmed…