Trespassing in Clay County, Florida

Trespassing cases in Clay County result in guilty verdicts at a notably high rate of 76.7 percent, substantially above the state pattern. The combination of guilty findings and adjudication withheld outcomes—which total 96.3 percent—indicates that Clay County prosecutors pursue these cases aggressively and courts rarely dismiss them. The dismissal rate of 1.3 percent falls 2.5 percentage points below the statewide average of 3.8 percent, suggesting Clay County handles trespassing more punitively than most Florida counties. Diversion programs, which allow defendants to avoid conviction entirely, are rarely used here at just 2.4 percent compared to a statewide rate of 3.1 percent.

Defendants convicted of trespassing in Clay County face jail time in over half of cases, with a median sentence of 26 days. The average sentence stretches to 46 days, and probation typically extends nearly a year at 359 days on average. Fines average around $331. Prison incarceration is rare at 0.4 percent, but the combination of frequent jail confinement and extended probation creates substantial consequences for what is often treated as a lower-level offense elsewhere in Florida.