Battery in St. Lucie County, Florida

586 cases (2025) · St. Lucie County courts

In 2025, Battery defendants in St. Lucie County saw more favorable outcomes on dismissals than statewide. The dismissal rate of 11.8% was roughly four times the statewide average of 2.9%, suggesting the local State Attorney's office screens cases more selectively or defendants mount stronger defenses here. The withheld adjudication rate of 14.2% fell below statewide (17.9%), while diversion programs appeared in 10.8% of cases, above the statewide rate of 9.8%, providing multiple pathways away from formal conviction.

Among those convicted, 41.5% served confinement (jail or prison), with median sentences of 206 days and average probation periods of 614 days. Fines averaged $513, and a higher share of defendants (33.8%) retained private counsel, suggesting better economic circumstances or stronger case confidence.

Citing these figures? Attribution line and monthly data pack.

586
Total Cases (2025)
54.4%
Guilty Rate
14.2%
Withheld Rate
11.8%
Dismissal Rate
vs 2.9% statewide, 2025
1 year, 8 months
Avg Sentence (confined)

Not every Battery charge in St. Lucie County makes it in front of a judge. Of 2,188 prosecutor decisions on Battery charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 29.4% — below the 53.8% statewide rate. These decisions happen early in a case, before trial.

Filed for prosecution
70.3% (1,539)
Declined to file
0.0% (0)
Dropped after filing
28.5% (624)
Administratively dismissed
0.9% (20)
Pre-trial diversion
0.2% (5)

Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, State Attorney case data (2023-2025). Rates are per charge, not per defendant — a dropped charge often reflects a plea agreement on another charge in the same case, not the case going away. Percentages are of charges receiving a prosecution decision; transfers between courts are excluded. Court outcome data on this page is a separate dataset covering cases that reached disposition. Statewide charging patterns: The Florida Prosecution Report.

I Outcomes

Exhibit · Case outcomes (2025)

Guilty
54.4% (319)
Withheld
14.2% (83)
Diversion
10.8% (63)
Dismissed
11.8% (69)
Acquitted
2.4% (14)

Largest outcomeGuilty — 54.4% of 586 cases.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 586 cases · 2025 — FloridaCourtFile.com

II Sentencing

Exhibit · Sentencing when convicted (2025)

1 year, 8 months
Avg Sentence (confined)
6.9 months
Median Sentence
1 year, 8 months
Avg Probation
$512
Avg Fine
11.3%
Prison Rate
30.2%
Jail Rate

Confinement-type detail below is computed across all available years (2023-2025).

Confinement Type Count Avg Sentence (confined)
County Jail 662 5.3 months
State Prison Facility 274 4.2 years
III Getting Help

Need a Defense Attorney in St. Lucie County?

Get matched with a local attorney who handles Battery cases. Free, confidential, no obligation.

What is the guilty rate for Battery in St. Lucie County?

The guilty rate is 54.4% based on 586 cases (2025).

How often is adjudication withheld for Battery in St. Lucie County?

Adjudication is withheld in 14.2% of cases (2025). This is a Florida-specific outcome where the court finds guilt but does not formally convict, allowing the defendant to avoid a conviction record under FL Statute 948.01.

What is the average sentence for Battery in St. Lucie County?

Among convictions that included confinement, the average sentence is 1 year, 8 months, with an average fine of $512 (2025).

What percentage use a public defender vs private attorney?

44.2% of defendants use a public defender, while 33.8% retain private counsel (2025).

IV Full Data
259
Public Defender
48.6% guilty · 14.7% dismissed
198
Private Attorney
55.1% guilty · 4.5% dismissed
67
Conflict Counsel
76.1% guilty · 16.4% dismissed
17
Court Private or Assigned Counsel
94.1% guilty · 0.0% dismissed

Demographic data reflects systemic patterns in the criminal justice system and should not be used to draw conclusions about any racial or ethnic group. Disparities may reflect differences in policing, prosecution, and socioeconomic factors rather than actual crime rates.

Race Cases Guilty Rate Dismissal Rate
White 288 55.6% 12.5%
Black 213 49.8% 12.7%
6.0%
Under 21
26.5%
21-29
30.2%
30-39
20.5%
40-49
10.6%
50-59
6.3%
60+

Exhibit · Disposition trends

Year Cases Guilty Rate Dismissal Rate Avg Sentence (confined)
2023 638 63.8% 8.5% 1 year, 2 months
2024 661 64.0% 5.7% 1 year, 10 months
2025 586 54.4% 11.8% 1 year, 8 months

Quarterly detail

10.7%
7.8%
13.8%
0.0%
6.9%
8.2%
0.6%
7.1%
16.8%
16.5%
10.2%
0.8%
Q1’23 Q2’23 Q3’23 Q4’23 Q1’24 Q2’24 Q3’24 Q4’24 Q1’25 Q2’25 Q3’25 Q4’25

Quarterly figures recompute from monthly disposition counts; quarters with fewer than 30 cases are suppressed.

Level Degree Cases
Misdemeanor First Degree 1,081
Felony Third Degree 685
Felony Second Degree 96
Felony First Degree 18
Misdemeanor Second Degree 2
NULL NULL 2
Felony Life 1
Charge Cases Guilty Rate Dismissal Rate
Drug Possession 1,395 71.0% 10.0%
Traffic Offense 759 80.5% 0.4%
Larceny / Theft 619 76.6% 3.2%
DUI 584 99.3% 0.0%
Other 568 82.9% 4.2%
Resisting Officer 382 76.7% 7.3%
Fraud 326 70.9% 4.3%
Trespassing 252 68.3% 13.5%

Cite this page

FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Battery in St. Lucie County, Florida (2025). Based on 586 public court records; last updated September 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/battery/st-lucie

About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for St. Lucie County. "Guilty" includes all cases where the defendant was found guilty. "Adjudication withheld" is a Florida-specific disposition where guilt is found but the court withholds formal adjudication under FL Statute 948.01. "Dismissed" includes all cases dismissed by the court or prosecution.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 586 cases (2025) · Data last updated September 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com