L.B. v. State

L.B. appeals from an order of commitment pursuant to the Baker Act, section 394.467, Florida Statutes (2001). For the reasons that follow, we reverse.

Under most standards of review this case would be moot, as the appellant has been released from involuntary commitment. However, we are bound by the decision of the Florida Supreme Court in Godwin v. State, 593 So.2d 211 (Fla.1992), which held that an appeal from a civil commitment under the Baker Act does not become moot solely because the person subject to the order has been released. The court reasoned that collateral consequences of the…