State v. Dye
State v. Dye
Opinion of the Court
[EDITORS' NOTE: THIS PAGE CONTAINS HEADNOTES. HEADNOTES ARE NOT AN OFFICIAL PRODUCT OF THE COURT, THEREFORE THEY ARE NOT DISPLAYED.] *Page 540
By order of The Honorable James R. Holmes, Judge of the County Court for Broward County, Florida, Section
Appellee was charged by information with trespass on school property in violation of Section
While we cannot accept the trial judge's conclusion that the statute is unconstitutional, we affirm the result reached in the proceedings below. Our anxiety is not the product of an unconstitutional statute but is the function of an incomplete information.3
An information must allege each of the essential elements of a crime to be valid. 17 Fla.Jur. Indictments Informations § 104 (1958). No essential element should be left to inference. Cornv. State,
Ordinarily, this Court will not reach constitutional issues if the case in which the question arises may be effectively disposed of on other grounds. Singletary v. State,
A challenge to the facial validity of a statute must be based on the test enunciated in Roth v. United States,
. . . lack of precision is not itself offensive to the requirements of due process ". . . [the] Constitution does not require impossible standards"; all that is required is that the language "conveys sufficiently definite warning as to the proscribed conduct when measured by common understanding and practices. . . ." That there may be marginal cases in which it is difficult to determine the side of the line on which a particular fact situation falls is not sufficient reason to hold the language too ambiguous to define a criminal offense.
See also, State v. Lindsay,
"Common understanding" dictates that the phrase "other authorized person" is to be read in light of the preceding phrase "owner of the premises" and in pari materia *Page 542 with other statutes controlling the delegation of authority to limit or withdraw access to specific types of public land. In regard to private land, an "authorized person" is one who receives either express or implied authorization from the owner. On public premises, authorized personnel includes those persons who have been given either express or implied authority from the chief executive. In the instant case, appellant was expelled from school property. Section 230.23(2), Florida Statutes (1975), grants to the school board the power to control property in the best interests of education. Accordingly, in the public school system, the chief executive is the school board. And those employees who are designated by the board to exercise control over school property constitute the class of "other authorized persons" under the statute.
Whether an individual has express or implied authority then is a fact which must be stated in the information and proved by the prosecution at trial. The controversy raised by appellee is not caused by a constitutionally deficient statute but is a question of proof. Roth did not intend that the statute mandatorily embody an itemized list of who may make such a demand in each instance. Indeed, an attempt to construct an all-inclusive list would undoubtedly prove futile. To deny to the Legislature the power to use generic descriptions if pressed to its logical conclusion would practically nullify legislative authority by making it essential for the Legislature to define all the specific instances to be brought within the statute. As the United States Supreme Court said in Smith v. Goguen,
There are areas of human conduct where by the nature of the problems presented, legislatures simply cannot establish standards with great precision.
Control of disorderly conduct that may inhibit the policeman in performing his duties is one such area requiring an instantaneous, discretionary judgment by the officer to maintain order. Cf. Colten v. Kentucky,
For the reasons stated herein, we hold that the statute conveys sufficiently definite warning as to the proscribed conduct when measured by common understanding and practice. State v. Mayhew,
It is so ordered.
OVERTON, C.J., and ADKINS and KARL, JJ., concur.
BOYD, J., dissents with an opinion with which ENGLAND and HATCHETT, JJ., concur.
(1) A person commits an offense if, without being authorized, licensed, or invited, he willfully enters upon or remains in any property other than a structure or conveyance as to which notice against entering or remaining is given by:
(a) Actual communication to the defendant.
(b) Posting, fencing, or cultivation, as prescribed in s.
(2) An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
(a) The offender defies an order to leave, personally communicated to him by the owner of the premises or other authorized person.
(b) The offender willfully opens any door, fence, or gate or does any other act which exposes animals, crops, or other property to waste, destruction, or freedom.
Otherwise, it is a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.
"did then and there wilfully enter upon or remain upon property other than a structure or conveyance, to-wit: school campus, located at 3600 Northwest 5th Court, Fort Lauderdale, property of The School Board of Broward County, without being authorized, licensed or invited to be upon said property, contrary to F.S.
Dissenting Opinion
I respectfully dissent.
The statute does not clearly indicate what conduct might constitute a violation nor does it clearly establish who would be authorized to require an alleged trespasser to vacate the premises. I agree with the trial court that the statute is unconstitutionally vague.
ENGLAND and HATCHETT, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Florida v. Curtis E. Dye
- Cited By
- 73 cases
- Status
- Published