Contempt of Court in Pasco County, Florida

Pasco County handles contempt of court cases more punitively than the state average. Defendants in Pasco face a 75.6 percent guilty rate, with 17.3 percent receiving adjudication withheld—a Florida-specific outcome that avoids a formal conviction. Dismissals occur in only 1.8 percent of cases, significantly below the statewide dismissal rate of 5.9 percent. This 4.1 percentage point gap suggests Pasco's State Attorney pursues contempt charges aggressively with little tolerance for case reduction. The withheld adjudication rate also exceeds the state average of 10.2 percent, indicating judges in Pasco sometimes find guilt but spare defendants a permanent conviction record. Diversion opportunities remain rare at 3.0 percent, barely above the statewide average of 2.8 percent.

Defendants convicted in Pasco contempt cases face a median sentence of 120 days and average probation of 350 days. Nearly a quarter of defendants spend time in jail, while prison confinement remains minimal at 0.5 percent. Average fines total about $295. Most defendants—64.5 percent—rely on public defenders rather than private counsel, reflecting the economic pressures typical in contempt cases.