State v. Eason

The State appeals from a sentence imposed pursuant to the habitual offender statute, section 775.084, Florida Statutes (1989). We affirm.

After adjudicating the defendant guilty of various offenses, the trial court declared the defendant a violent habitual offender and sentenced him to twenty-five years in prison for armed robbery. The State argues that under section 775.084(4)(b), the trial court was bound to sentence the defendant to life in prison with no eligibility for release for fifteen years. We disagree. “Contrary to the State’s assertion, the ‘shall sentence’ provision of the…