Traffic Offense in Union County, Florida

Traffic offenses in Union County result in guilty verdicts at an exceptionally high rate of 98.2 percent, with virtually no dismissals or acquittals. This stands starkly against the statewide dismissal rate of 4 percent—Union County has no cases dismissed, suggesting either extremely strong prosecutorial evidence in local traffic matters or minimal challenge to charges. The withhold rate of 1.8 percent is far below the statewide average of 31.9 percent, indicating judges rarely invoke adjudication withheld in traffic cases here. Notably, diversion programs are not used at all in Union County traffic cases despite a statewide average of 6.6 percent participation, meaning defendants have no opportunity to avoid conviction through program completion.

Sentences are relatively modest, with a median of 49 days but an average of 160 days reflecting some longer outliers. Jail confinement occurs in 28.3 percent of cases, while only 3 percent receive prison time. Probation averaging 474 days is standard, and fines average $113.53. Public defenders represent 33.1 percent of defendants compared to just 3.6 percent with private counsel, suggesting most traffic defendants are indigent.