Contempt of Court in Broward County, Florida

Contempt of court cases in Broward County resolve with conviction at notably high rates. Guilty verdicts occur in 68.6 percent of cases, while adjudication withheld—a Florida outcome that avoids a conviction record—applies to 23.4 percent, combining for a 92 percent conviction or conviction-equivalent rate. This significantly exceeds statewide patterns, where withheld adjudication reaches only 10.2 percent. Dismissals happen in 6.7 percent of Broward contempt cases, slightly above the statewide average of 5.9 percent. The data suggests Broward prosecutors aggressively pursue contempt charges and judges rarely resolve them through acquittal or diversion.

Sentencing outcomes reflect serious handling of contempt. Half of defendants receive jail time, with a median sentence of 90 days and an average of 128 days, indicating incarceration is the norm rather than exception. Probation terms average 614 days, extending supervision well beyond the incarceration period. No defendants accessed pretrial diversion programs, meaning contempt charges in Broward offer no alternative path to avoid conviction or withheld adjudication.