Stalking in Palm Beach County, Florida
105 cases (2025) · Palm Beach County courts
Updated September 2026 · 2025 data
In 2025, Palm Beach County diverged from statewide stalking patterns by emphasizing pre-trial diversion programs: 20% of cases used diversion to allow defendants to avoid conviction through program completion, compared to 6.3% statewide. The guilty rate was 60%, and withheld adjudication—where guilt is found but not formally adjudicated—occurred in 12.4% of cases, substantially below the statewide 21.2%. This suggests Palm Beach relies more on diversion as the primary non-conviction pathway, rather than post-conviction adjudication withholding.
Confinement patterns reflected this emphasis: average sentence was approximately 1.1 years, with jail more common than prison (41.9% versus 17.1%), and 59% of defendants represented by public defenders, indicating moderate-income clientele. The median sentence of just 253 days suggests most cases resolved with shorter jail terms.
Citing these figures? Attribution line and monthly data pack.
Before Court: State Attorney Decisions
Not every Stalking charge in Palm Beach County makes it in front of a judge. Of 172 prosecutor decisions on Stalking charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 12.2% — below the 41.8% 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 — 60.0% of 105 cases.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 105 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 | 126 | 4.5 months |
| State Prison Facility | 39 | 2.9 years |
Convicted defendants' full sentencing detail — sentence ranges, fines, prison vs. probation odds: Stalking sentencing in Palm Beach County.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the guilty rate for Stalking in Palm Beach County?
The guilty rate is 60.0% based on 105 cases (2025).
How often is adjudication withheld for Stalking in Palm Beach County?
Adjudication is withheld in 12.4% 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 Stalking in Palm Beach County?
Among convictions that included confinement, the average sentence is 1 year, 2 months (2025).
What percentage use a public defender vs private attorney?
60.0% of defendants use a public defender, while 38.1% retain private counsel (2025).
Counsel Analysis (2025)
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 | 71 | 57.7% | 1.4% |
| Black | 33 | 66.7% | 0.0% |
Age Distribution (2025)
Year-Over-Year Trends
Exhibit · Disposition trends
| Year | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate | Avg Sentence (confined) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 68 | 57.4% | 1.5% | 10.8 months |
| 2024 | 75 | 74.7% | 0.0% | 10.1 months |
| 2025 | 105 | 60.0% | 1.0% | 1 year, 2 months |
Charge Level Breakdown
| Level | Degree | Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Misdemeanor | First Degree | 147 |
| Felony | Third Degree | 101 |
Related Charges in Palm Beach County
Rates shown are 2025 unless marked otherwise.
| Charge | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic Offense | 18,615 | 27.2% | 0.4% |
| Other | 5,545 | 11.7% | 0.4% |
| Drug Possession | 3,575 | 68.3% | 0.3% |
| Larceny / Theft | 3,172 | 64.3% | 0.5% |
| Battery | 2,688 | 45.3% | 0.5% |
| Trespassing | 2,272 | 69.6% | 1.2% |
| Resisting Officer | 2,093 | 62.0% | 0.5% |
| DUI | 1,692 | 95.6% | 0.3% |
Cite this page
FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Stalking in Palm Beach County, Florida (2025). Based on 105 public court records; last updated September 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/stalking/palm-beach
About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for Palm Beach 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 · 105 cases (2025) · Data last updated September 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com