Williams v. State

DANIEL S. PEARSON, Judge.

In Tascano v. State, 393 So.2d 540 (Fla.1980), the Supreme Court held that the language of Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.390(a) makes mandatory, upon request of either the State or the defendant, the giving of an instruction on the maximum and minimum sentences which may be imposed for the offense for which the accused is on trial. No such instruction was given at Williams’ trial.

We must decide whether Williams, whose trial antedated the Tascano decision, preserved this point on appeal,1 and, if so, whether a Tascano violation requires reversal in the face of…