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Williams v. State

Williams v. State, 370 So. 2d 1143 (Fla. 1979)
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Court
Supreme Court of Florida · State Highest Courts
Decided
May 3, 1979
Docket
No. 54416
Judges
Per Curiam
Citations
370 So. 2d 1143

Opinion — Per Curiam

370 So.2d 1143 (1979)

Gloria WILLIAMS, Appellant,

v.

STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. 54416.

Supreme Court of Florida.

May 3, 1979.

*1144 Bennett H. Brummer, Public Defender, and Karen M. Gottlieb, Asst. Public Defender, Miami, for appellant.

Jim Smith, Atty. Gen., and Calvin L. Fox, Asst. Atty. Gen., Miami, for appellee.

PER CURIAM.

In this case Gloria Williams appeals a trial court order denying her motion to dismiss the information against her and upholding the constitutionality of the statute under which she was charged, section 812.014(1), Florida Statutes (1977).

Williams here raises three points for our consideration. The first of these — that section 812.014 is unconstitutionally vague — was recently rejected by the Court in State v. Allen, 362 So.2d 10 (Fla. 1978). See also State v. Belgrave, 364 So.2d 1225 (Fla. 1978); State v. Lewis, 364 So.2d 1223 (Fla. 1978); Dunnigan v. State, 364 So.2d 1217 (Fla. 1978).

Second, Williams asserts that the statute violates article III, section 6 of the Florida Constitution in that the statute's title does not adequately apprise a person of average intelligence of the statute's contents. We disagree. The title of a statute need not index all of the statute's contents. The proper test is whether the title is so worded as not to mislead a person of average intelligence as to the scope of the enactment and is sufficient to put that person on notice and cause him to inquire into the body of the statute itself. Pruitt v. State, 363 So.2d 552 (Fla. 1978); Mayo v. Polk Co., 124 Fla. 534 , 169 So. 41 , appeal dismissed, 299 U.S. 507 , 57 S.Ct. 39 , 81 L.Ed. 376 (1936); Butler v. Perry, 67 Fla. 405 , 66 So. 150 (1914), aff'd, 240 U.S. 328 , 36 S.Ct. 258 , 60 L.Ed. 672 (1916). Measured by this rule, the title to section 812.014 meets the constitutional requirements.

Third, Williams asserts that the information against her is deficient as it does not contain a specific averment of some overt act constituting criminal attempt. In State v. Allen, 362 So.2d 10, 12 (Fla. 1978), the Court construed the term "endeavors" as meaning "an overt act." Since the challenged information expressly charged Williams with endeavoring to obtain or use a wallet and money, the information was sufficient.

Having considered the points raised, we affirm the order of the trial court denying Williams' motion to dismiss.

It is so ordered.

ENGLAND, C.J., and ADKINS, BOYD, OVERTON, SUNDBERG, HATCHETT and ALDERMAN, JJ., concur.

How later courts describe this case

No later court has written an explanatory parenthetical about this case yet.

Cited by 12 cases

View all citing references →
1980: 11981: 51984: 11987: 11988: 22001: 12004: 119802026peak 1981 · 5

Relies on it most ⓘ

  1. Interest of D.N. v. State529 So. 2d 1217 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1988)
  2. State v. Buffett397 So. 2d 1060 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1981)
  3. Franklin v. State887 So. 2d 1063 (Fla. 2004)
  4. BOARD OF CTY. COM'RS OF DADE CTY. v. Wilson386 So. 2d 556 (Fla. 1980)
  5. LOXAHATCHEE RIVER ECD v. School Bd.515 So. 2d 217 (Fla. 1987)
  6. Alterman Transport Lines, Inc. v. State405 So. 2d 456 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1981)

Most recent

  1. Franklin v. State887 So. 2d 1063 (Fla. 2004)
  2. West v. State789 So. 2d 1123 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2001)
  3. DN v. State529 So. 2d 1217 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1988)
  4. Interest of D.N. v. State529 So. 2d 1217 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1988)
  5. LOXAHATCHEE RIVER ECD v. School Bd.515 So. 2d 217 (Fla. 1987)
  6. Williams v. State459 So. 2d 319 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1984)

Citing references are not a citator: they show that a later opinion cites this case, not whether it followed, distinguished, or overruled it. Check negative history before relying on this case.

Authorities cited 8

DepthCaseCited by
Butler v. Perry, 240 U.S. 328 (1916) 125
State v. Allen, 362 So. 2d 10 (Fla. 1978) 127
Mayo v. the Polk Co., 169 So. 41 (Fla. 1936) 22
Dunnigan v. State, 364 So. 2d 1217 (Fla. 1978) 69
State v. Belgrave, 364 So. 2d 1225 (Fla. 1978) 58
State v. Lewis, 364 So. 2d 1223 (Fla. 1978) 57
Butler v. Sheriff, 67 Fla. 405 (1914) 47
Pruitt v. State, 363 So. 2d 552 (Fla. 1978) 9

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