E.A.R. v. State

We write to address a narrow issue—whether section 985.433(7)(b), Florida Statutes (2007),1 requires a trial court *611to specifically identify the “characteristics of the restrictiveness level imposed vis-a-vis the needs of the juvenile,” when the trial court sentences a juvenile to a different restrictiveness level than that recommended by the Department of Juvenile Justice (“DJJ”). We hold that the statute does not impose such a requirement on a sentencing judge and affirm.

Appellant entered a plea to a felony and violations of probation. The DJJ predisposition report recommended a moderate…