Contempt of Court in Lee County, Florida

In Lee County, contempt of court cases result in guilty verdicts 87.1 percent of the time, significantly higher than the statewide withheld adjudication rate of 10.2 percent. Lee County judges withheld adjudication in only 4.6 percent of cases, suggesting this circuit treats contempt matters more punitively than the state average. The dismissal rate of 4.1 percent falls below the statewide average of 5.9 percent, indicating prosecutors in this circuit pursue contempt charges more aggressively and judges grant fewer dismissals. Diversion programs remain rare, used in under 1 percent of cases compared to the statewide average of 2.8 percent.

Fifty-five percent of defendants received jail time, with sentences averaging 126 days and a median of 90 days. Probation was imposed in most cases, averaging 349 days. Representation skews heavily toward public defenders, who handled 14.3 percent of cases, while only 5.5 percent retained private counsel. This pattern suggests many defendants charged with contempt in Lee County face incarceration and extended supervision with limited private legal resources available.