BLACK, Judge.
The State appeals a county court order finding section 796.07(6), Florida Statutes (2013), unconstitutional. Because we conclude that the statute is not facially unconstitutional and that the $5000 fine is not excessive or "grossly disproportional" as applied in this case, we reverse.
Joseph Cotton entered a plea of nolo contendere to a violation of section 796.07(2)(f), solicitation of prostitution. Because this was Cotton's first violation, his crime is a second-degree misdemeanor. See § 796.07(4)(a).
Prior to entering his plea, Cotton filed a motion to declare section 796.07(6) unconstitutional. In his motion, he contended that the $5000 penalty is an excessive fine in violation of the Excessive Fines Clause in both the United States and Florida Constitutions.
The trial court granted the motion, found the statute unconstitutional, and struck the penalty. The court found the fine at issue is "excessive, unduly oppressive, and unreasonably harsh, such that it would shock the conscience of reasonable men." In its order, the court distinguished many of the cases provided by both Cotton and the State, noting that unlike excessive forfeiture cases, section 796.07(6) requires imposition of a fine in a predetermined amount regardless of the underlying facts of the individual case. The trial court also certified a question of great public importance to this court, which we restate as:
The State appeals the court's ruling. See Fla. R.App. P. 9.030(b)(1)(A) (invoking the appeal jurisdiction of this court to review county court final orders declaring a
Section 796.07, under which Cotton was charged and convicted, prohibits prostitution and related acts, including offering another person for the purpose of prostitution; engaging in prostitution; soliciting another to commit prostitution; purchasing the services of a person engaged in prostitution; and aiding or participating in any of the prohibited acts enumerated within the statute. § 796.07(2)(b), (e), (f), (i), (h). Section 796.07(4) delineates the level of offense committed depending on whether it is the defendant's first, second, or third or subsequent violation. Under the 2013 version of the statute, a first violation of any provision of the statute is a second-degree misdemeanor, a second violation is a first-degree misdemeanor, and a third or subsequent violation is a third-degree felony, regardless of which subsection is violated. § 796.07(4)(a), (b), (c). A defendant convicted of a violation of section 796.07(2)(f), prohibiting solicitation, inducement, enticement, or procurement of another person to commit prostitution, lewdness, or assignation — regardless of the degree of the offense — must be assessed the $5000 fine.
Prior to January 1, 2013, section 796.07(6) mandated the imposition of a $500 fine for violations of section 796.07(2)(f). In 2012 the legislature adopted an amendment to the statute to increase the fine from $500 to $5000. Ch. 2012-105, § 7, Laws of Fla. The increased fine was part of the Florida Safe Harbor Act, which was "intended to provide a more coordinated response to address the child welfare services needs of sexually exploited children who are dependent." Fla. S. Budget Comm., Budget subcomm.
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." U.S. Const. amend. VIII. The Florida Constitution also similarly forbids excessive fines. Art. I, § 17, Fla. Const. ("Excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment, attainder, forfeiture of estate, indefinite imprisonment, and unreasonable detention of witnesses are forbidden."). However, there is a "dearth of caselaw" applying these prohibitions on excessive fines. Gordon v. State, 139 So.3d 958, 960 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014) (citing United States v. Bajakajian, 524 U.S. 321, 327, 118 S.Ct. 2028, 141 L.Ed.2d 314 (1998)). This is particularly true outside of the context of forfeitures. Cf. Bajakajian, 524 U.S. at 327, 118 S.Ct. 2028 (stating — in the forfeiture context — that the Court "has had little occasion to interpret, and has never actually applied, the Excessive Fines Clause").
In undertaking our de novo review of the constitutionality of the statute at issue, we are mindful of two touchstones of the inquiry before us: "the principle of proportionality," Bajakajian, 524 U.S. at 334, 118 S.Ct. 2028, and our "obligat[ion] to accord legislative acts a presumption of constitutionality," State v. Adkins, 96 So.3d 412, 416-17 (Fla.2012) (quoting Fla. Dep't of Revenue v. City of Gainesville, 918 So.2d 250, 256 (Fla.2005)). "A defendant who challenges the constitutional validity of a statute bears a heavy burden of establishing its invalidity." Wright v. State, 739 So.2d 1230, 1231 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999) (citing Milliken v. State, 131 So.2d 889, 892 (Fla.1961)). And "[e]ven in those few Florida cases which have considered the intention and application of the excessive punishments provision as applied to `fines,' there is a `strong presumption that the amount of a fine is not unconstitutionally excessive if it lies within the range of fines prescribed by the legislature.'" Browning v. Angelfish Swim Sch., Inc., 1 So.3d 355, 359 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009) (quoting Moustakis v. City of Ft. Lauderdale, No. 08-60124, 2008 WL 2222101, at *1 (S.D.Fla. May 27, 2008)). Further, "reviewing court[s] should grant substantial deference to the legislature's determination of the appropriate punishment for an offense." Riopelle v. Dep't of Fin. Servs., 907 So.2d 1220, 1223 (Fla. 1st DCA 2005) (citing Bajakajian, 524 U.S. at 336, 118 S.Ct. 2028).
"Well-settled Florida decisional authority provides that a statutorily authorized
Smalley v. Duke Energy Fla., Inc., 154 So.3d 439, 441 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014). "A facial challenge considers only the text of the statute, not its application to a particular set of circumstances, and the challenger must demonstrate that the statute's provisions pose a present total and fatal conflict with applicable constitutional standards." In re Senate Joint Resolution of Legislative Apportionment 1176, 83 So.3d 597, 690 (Fla.2012) (quoting Ogborn v. Zingale, 988 So.2d 56, 59 (Fla. 1st DCA 2008)). "A facial challenge to a statute is more difficult than an `as applied' challenge because the challenger must establish that no set of circumstances exists under which the statute would be valid." DIRECTV, Inc. v. State, Dep't of Revenue, ___ So.3d ___, 40 Fla. L. Weekly D1375, D1376 (Fla. 1st DCA June 11, 2015) (quoting Cashatt v. State, 873 So.2d 430, 434 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004)).
Section 775.083(1), Florida Statutes (2013), provides a reference point for fines in criminal proceedings. The statutorily designated fines "shall not exceed"
Cotton's challenge to the constitutionality of the fine as applied to Cotton, while a closer issue, also fails. As in the forfeiture context, fines of a greater amount than authorized by section 775.083 should receive closer scrutiny. See Chaplin's, 646 F.3d at 852 (discussing scrutiny in forfeiture cases). While there is no bright-line ratio to determine whether a fine is excessive, strict proportionality is not the standard. See Bajakajian, 524 U.S. at 336, 118 S.Ct. 2028. Under the proportionality analysis, we must consider the nature of the criminal offense being punished and whether the $5000 fine exceeds "any reasonable requirements for redressing the wrong." See Amos, 94 So. at 641. Even under such careful consideration, Cotton has not established that the fine, as applied to him, rises to the level required to be deemed unconstitutional.
The fine at issue is part of the statute prohibiting prostitution and related acts. § 796.07. "Forty-nine of the fifty states today prohibit all sales of sexual services. The federal government acknowledges the link between prostitution and trafficking in women and children, a form of modern day slavery." Coyote Publ'g, Inc. v. Miller, 598 F.3d 592, 600 (9th Cir.2010) (citing U.S. Department of State, The Link Between Prostitution and Sex Trafficking (November 24, 2004)). "Solicitation of prostitution, lewdness, public indecency, and other sexual vice crimes of the types material to the subject litigation may impact adversely the health, safety, welfare, and morals of the affected neighborhood and the larger community." Ross v. Duggan, 113 Fed.App'x 33, 45 (6th Cir.2004) (unpublished).
While section 796.07(4)(a) provides that a first-time violator of the statute commits a second-degree misdemeanor and may therefore be sentenced up to sixty days in jail or placed on probation for up to six months, see §§ 775.082(4)(b), 948.15(1), Fla. Stat. (2013), the adverse impact of vice crimes on the community is recognized, in part, by the imposition of fines up to the amount in question here, see Jones, 180 So.3d at 1089-90. See also Milwaukee,
The legislature has determined that a $5000 fine is appropriate, and we give substantial deference to that determination. We do not view the $5000 fine as patently oppressive or grossly disproportionate as applied to Cotton. See Jones, 180 So.3d at 1089-90; Ross, 113 Fed.App'x at 46 (concluding that the fines and fees imposed were constitutional where underlying law prohibited solicitation of prostitution); cf. One 1995 Toyota Pick-Up Truck v. Dist. of Columbia, 718 A.2d 558, 565-66 (D.C. 1998) (concluding in the forfeiture context that a penalty "on the order of fifty times the fine authorized" was grossly disproportionate and excessive). But see Dep't of Envtl. Prot. v. Zabielinski, 785 So.2d 517, 520 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000) (concluding in the forfeiture context that a fine was excessive where fraudulently registering a vessel "is not as grave as other offenses, for example drug offenses," and "the vessel is valued [at] $60,000 which is more than eleven times the amount of the fine that could have been imposed"). We agree with the State's assessment that the fine is a "relatively modest amount by today's standards."
"Outside the context of capital punishment, successful challenges to the proportionality of particular sentences have been exceedingly rare." Adaway v. State, 902 So.2d 746, 748 (Fla.2005) (quoting Hall v. State, 823 So.2d 757, 760 (Fla.2002)). Although as applied to Cotton, the $5000 fine approaches the outer limits of constitutionality, we do not find it to be excessive. Accordingly, we answer the certified question in the negative and we reverse the county court order finding section 796.07, Florida Statutes (2013), unconstitutional and remand for imposition of the $5000 fine.
Reversed and remanded.
CASANUEVA and NORTHCUTT, JJ., Concur.