Traffic Offense in Clay County, Florida
1,116 cases (2025) · Clay County courts
Updated September 2026 · 2025 data
In 2025, Clay County recorded a 59.9% guilty rate for traffic offenses, among the highest in the state, paired with a dismissal rate of just 0.9%—far below the statewide 4% average. Withheld adjudication appeared in 39.2% of cases, but the defining feature was the high guilty rate reflecting the Fourth Judicial Circuit's conviction-oriented prosecution strategy.
Defendants faced jail in 30.6% of cases—more than three times typical rates—even though median sentences were minimal at 2 days. Average fines of $468 were among the steepest observed. Clay's approach combines financial penalties and significant jail exposure with high conviction rates.
Citing these figures? Attribution line and monthly data pack.
Before Court: State Attorney Decisions
Not every Traffic Offense charge in Clay County makes it in front of a judge. Of 2,170 prosecutor decisions on Traffic Offense charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 26.6% — above the 10.3% 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 — 59.9% of 1,116 cases.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 1,116 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 | 938 | 29 days |
| State Prison Facility | 22 | 2.6 years |
Convicted defendants' full sentencing detail — sentence ranges, fines, prison vs. probation odds: Traffic Offense sentencing in Clay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 719 | 61.2% | 1.3% |
| Black | 281 | 63.3% | 0.0% |
Age Distribution (2025)
Year-Over-Year Trends
Exhibit · Disposition trends
| Year | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate | Avg Sentence (confined) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,286 | 38.5% | 1.6% | 1.4 months |
| 2024 | 1,205 | 55.1% | 0.7% | 2.1 months |
| 2025 | 1,116 | 59.9% | 0.9% | 1.4 months |
Quarterly detail
Quarterly figures recompute from monthly disposition counts; quarters with fewer than 30 cases are suppressed.
Charge Level Breakdown
| Level | Degree | Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Misdemeanor | Second Degree | 3,188 |
| Misdemeanor | First Degree | 284 |
| Felony | Third Degree | 119 |
| Misdemeanor | NULL | 9 |
| NULL | NULL | 7 |
Related Charges in Clay County
Rates shown are 2025 unless marked otherwise.
| Charge | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Possession | 559 | 70.1% | 1.1% |
| Larceny / Theft | 411 | 69.8% | 0.0% |
| Battery | 361 | 66.2% | 1.1% |
| Other | 424 | 47.6% | 32.3% |
| Resisting Officer | 194 | 73.2% | 0.0% |
| DUI | 133 | 99.2% | 0.0% |
| Trespassing | 129 | 81.4% | 2.3% |
| Sex Offense | 110 | 96.4% | 1.8% |
Cite this page
FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Traffic Offense in Clay County, Florida (2025). Based on 1,116 public court records; last updated September 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/traffic-offense/clay
About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for Clay 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 · 1,116 cases (2025) · Data last updated September 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com