Drug Sale in Broward County, Florida
471 cases (2025) · Broward County courts
Updated September 2026 · 2025 data
In 2025, Broward County's 469 drug sale cases displayed notably different outcomes than statewide patterns. Guilty findings reached 59.1%, substantially lower than typical for sales charges, while 32.2% received withheld adjudication—nearly four times the statewide rate of 8.3%. Most striking, the dismissal rate of 8.3% vastly exceeded the statewide rate of 1.8% by 6.5 percentage points, suggesting the State Attorney or courts regularly dismiss sales charges. Diversion was negligible at 0.2% versus the statewide rate of 0.9%.
Defendants sentenced in drug sale cases faced severe consequences: average sentences of 840.1 days with a median of 366 days, and probation averaged 904.7 days. Prison confinement was the most prevalent outcome at 27.7%, with an additional 22.4% receiving jail time, indicating sales charges carried substantially higher incarceration rates than possession. The pattern suggests Broward's State Attorney applies substantial prosecutorial discretion, dismissing a meaningful proportion of sales cases while sentencing others to extended terms.
Citing these figures? Attribution line and monthly data pack.
Before Court: State Attorney Decisions
Not every Drug Sale charge in Broward County makes it in front of a judge. Of 1,194 prosecutor decisions on Drug Sale charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 31.9% — below the 35.8% statewide rate. These decisions happen early in a case, before trial.
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.
Outcome Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Case outcomes (2025)
Largest outcomeGuilty — 59.2% of 471 cases.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 471 cases · 2025 — FloridaCourtFile.com
Sentencing Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Sentencing when convicted (2025)
Confinement-type detail below is computed across all available years (2023-2025).
| Confinement Type | Count | Avg Sentence (confined) |
|---|---|---|
| County Jail | 344 | 1 year, 8 months |
| State Prison Facility | 333 | 3.6 years |
Convicted defendants' full sentencing detail — sentence ranges, fines, prison vs. probation odds: Drug Sale sentencing in Broward County.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 350 | 61.4% | 6.3% |
| Not Available | 121 | 52.9% | 14.0% |
Age Distribution (2025)
Year-Over-Year Trends
Exhibit · Disposition trends
| Year | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate | Avg Sentence (confined) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 331 | 60.4% | 2.7% | 3.6 years |
| 2024 | 445 | 60.2% | 3.4% | 2.2 years |
| 2025 | 471 | 59.2% | 8.3% | 2.3 years |
Quarterly detail
Quarterly figures recompute from monthly disposition counts; quarters with fewer than 30 cases are suppressed.
Charge Level Breakdown
| Level | Degree | Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Felony | Third Degree | 710 |
| Felony | Second Degree | 533 |
| Felony | First Degree | 2 |
| Misdemeanor | First Degree | 2 |
Related Charges in Broward County
Rates shown are 2025 unless marked otherwise.
| Charge | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic Offense | 6,643 | 22.2% | 1.7% |
| Larceny / Theft | 3,223 | 62.6% | 1.7% |
| Drug Possession | 2,033 | 54.5% | 12.2% |
| Resisting Officer | 1,592 | 52.6% | 5.2% |
| Trespassing | 1,381 | 55.9% | 4.6% |
| Other | 1,341 | 33.0% | 32.5% |
| Battery | 830 | 54.1% | 8.4% |
| Fraud | 992 | 55.0% | 3.2% |
Cite this page
FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Drug Sale in Broward County, Florida (2025). Based on 471 public court records; last updated September 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/drug-sale/broward
About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for Broward 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 · 471 cases (2025) · Data last updated September 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com