Burglary in Bay County, Florida

170 cases (2025) · Bay County courts

Updated July 2026 · 2025 data

In 2025, Bay County handled 170 burglary cases with a 77.6% guilty verdict rate and 11.8% withheld adjudication. The dismissal rate of 4.1% more than doubles Florida's statewide burglary average of 1.5%, indicating Bay's courts apply more permissive standards to weak cases. However, for defendants convicted or receiving withheld adjudication, consequences are severe—reflecting the gravity assigned to property crimes by this judicial circuit.

Defendants average 974 days in custody—over two and a half years—with a median of 731 days (two years), plus 1,166 days probation (over three years). Prison incarceration dominates at 46.5% of cases, with jail minimal at 5.9%, ensuring most burglary convictions result in state custody. Public defenders represent 32.4% of defendants. These sentence lengths and confinement patterns underscore Bay County's punitive approach to residential or commercial theft.

170
Total Cases (2025)
77.6%
Guilty Rate
11.8%
Withheld Rate
4.1%
Dismissal Rate
▲ vs 1.5% statewide, 2025
2.7 years
Avg Sentence

Before Court: State Attorney Decisions

Not every Burglary charge in Bay County makes it in front of a judge. Of 544 prosecutor decisions on Burglary charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 10.3% — below the 31.2% statewide rate. These decisions happen early in a case, before trial.

Filed for prosecution
89.2% (485)
Declined to file
0.2% (1)
Dropped after filing
9.9% (54)
Administratively dismissed
0.2% (1)
Pre-trial diversion
0.6% (3)

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

Outcome Breakdown (2025)

Exhibit · Case outcomes (2025)

Guilty
77.6% (132)
Withheld
11.8% (20)
Diversion
2.4% (4)
Dismissed
4.1% (7)
Acquitted
0.6% (1)

Largest outcomeGuilty — 77.6% of 170 cases.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 170 cases · 2025 — FloridaCourtFile.com

II Sentencing

Sentencing Breakdown (2025)

Exhibit · Sentencing when convicted (2025)

2.7 years
Avg Sentence
2.0 years
Median Sentence
3.2 years
Avg Probation
$663
Avg Fine
46.5%
Prison Rate
5.9%
Jail Rate

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

Confinement Type Count Avg Sentence
State Prison Facility 426 3.1 years
County Jail 41 11.6 months

Convicted defendants' full sentencing detail — sentence ranges, fines, prison vs. probation odds: Burglary sentencing in Bay County.

Counsel Analysis (2025)

55
Public Defender
78.2% guilty · 1.8% dismissed
19
Private Attorney
68.4% guilty · 5.3% dismissed
7
Self or Unrepresented
57.1% guilty · 14.3% dismissed

Demographics (2025)

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 108 78.7% 3.7%
Black 54 75.9% 5.6%

Age Distribution (2025)

20.7%
Under 21
22.5%
21-29
24.3%
30-39
17.8%
40-49
9.5%
50-59
5.3%
60+

Year-Over-Year Trends

Exhibit · Disposition trends

Year Cases Guilty Rate Dismissal Rate Avg Sentence
2023 309 87.4% 2.3% 3.0 years
2024 326 77.6% 1.2% 2.9 years
2025 170 77.6% 4.1% 2.7 years

Quarterly detail

5.8%
0.8%
0.0%
4.5%
1.5%
1.1%
2.7%
0.0%
1.9%
5.6%
9.1%
2.0%
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.

Charge Level Breakdown

Level Degree Cases
Felony Third Degree 661
Felony Second Degree 117
Felony First Degree 24
Felony NULL 3

Related Charges in Bay County

Rates shown are 2025 unless marked otherwise.

Charge Cases Guilty Rate Dismissal Rate
Drug Possession 2,900 65.9% 1.2%
Traffic Offense 2,095 55.2% 0.9%
Other 1,372 41.3% 2.0%
Larceny / Theft 1,109 66.4% 1.1%
Battery 1,044 64.5% 1.9%
DUI 622 98.1% 0.5%
Resisting Officer 624 66.7% 1.9%
Fraud 327 64.8% 0.9%
III Getting Help

Need a Defense Attorney in Bay County?

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the guilty rate for Burglary in Bay County?

The guilty rate is 77.6% based on 170 cases (2025).

How often is adjudication withheld for Burglary in Bay County?

Adjudication is withheld in 11.8% 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 Burglary in Bay County?

The average sentence is 2.7 years, with an average fine of $663 (2025).

What percentage use a public defender vs private attorney?

32.4% of defendants use a public defender, while 11.2% retain private counsel (2025).

Cite this page

FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Burglary in Bay County, Florida (2025). Based on 170 public court records; last updated July 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/burglary/bay

About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for Bay 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 · 170 cases (2025) · Data last updated July 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com