Background
Raymond A. Profit, appearing pro se, appealed a judgment entered against him in the Circuit Court for Alachua County, Florida, presided over by Judge James M. Colaw. The State of Florida was represented by the Office of the Attorney General. The underlying nature of the circuit court proceedings is not detailed in the appellate opinion.
Profit filed his appeal with the Florida First District Court of Appeal, which has jurisdiction over appeals arising from Alachua County. The Attorney General’s office, through Assistant Attorney General Amanda Uwaibi, defended the circuit court’s judgment on behalf of the State.
The Court’s Holding
The First District Court of Appeal affirmed the circuit court’s judgment in a per curiam opinion. Judges Kelsey, Nordby, and Neff concurred in the affirmance without issuing a written opinion explaining the court’s reasoning.
The decision is not yet final and remains subject to any timely and authorized motion filed pursuant to Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure 9.330 or 9.331, which govern motions for rehearing and motions for written opinions, respectively.
Key Takeaways
- The First DCA affirmed the Alachua County circuit court judgment against Profit without a written opinion.
- Profit represented himself pro se throughout the appellate proceedings.
- The decision may become final once the window for seeking rehearing or a written opinion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or 9.331 closes.
Why It Matters
Per curiam affirmances without written opinion are routine dispositions in Florida’s district courts of appeal and signal that the panel found no reversible error warranting discussion. For practitioners, the absence of a written opinion means the decision carries no precedential value under Florida law.
The case is a reminder that pro se appellants face significant procedural and substantive hurdles on appeal, and that affirmances in this form provide no guidance on the underlying legal issues for future litigants.