Trespassing in Hillsborough County, Florida

Trespassing cases in Hillsborough County result in guilty verdicts in roughly 80 percent of instances, a substantially higher rate than the state pattern. The withheld adjudication rate of 7.4 percent trails the statewide average of 11.5 percent, meaning fewer defendants here avoid a conviction record through that mechanism. The dismissal rate of 8.7 percent far exceeds Florida's 3.8 percent average—a gap of nearly 5 percentage points—suggesting prosecutors in this circuit are more selective about which cases proceed, though convictions remain the dominant outcome. Diversion programs are used sparingly, affecting only 3 percent of trespassing defendants.

Sentences average 97 days but typically fall to 30 days at the median, indicating most offenders receive brief jail terms while a smaller subset receives substantially longer penalties. About one in five trespassing defendants spends time in jail; prison confinement is rare at 0.6 percent. Probation, when imposed, averages 423 days. The typical fine is modest at $261. Representation breaks predictably: 60 percent of defendants rely on public defenders and 40 percent hire private counsel, reflecting access disparities common across criminal dockets.