Battery in Brevard County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Brevard County, we compared 277 Battery cases with public defenders against 122 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.3 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.9%
PD Dismissal Rate
277 cases
1.6%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
122 cases
-1.3 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 277 122
Dismissal Rate 2.9% 1.6%
Conviction Rate 83.4% 81.1%
Guilty Rate 63.5% 52.5%
Adjudication Withheld 19.9% 28.7%
Diversion Rate 2.5% 8.2%
Avg Sentence 5.1 months 8.1 months
Avg Fine $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 1 year, 6 months 1 year, 3 months

Important context: Correlation is not causation. Private attorney clients may differ from public defender clients in income, prior criminal history, charge severity, and willingness to go to trial. These factors independently affect outcomes. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

Statewide Comparison

Statewide, the dismissal rate for Battery is 2.7% with public defenders and 1.9% with private attorneys (-0.8 point difference). Brevard County's -1.3 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Brevard County 2.9% 1.6% -1.3 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.7% 1.9% -0.8 pts

Other Charges in Brevard County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 668 1.2% 353 3.4%
Drug Possession 556 0.2% 185 1.1%
Larceny / Theft 417 0.2% 80 1.2%
DUI 150 0.0% 236 2.1%
Contempt of Court 223 78.0% 84 84.5%
Other 199 2.0% 84 13.1%
Resisting Officer 196 0.5% 58 1.7%
Burglary 117 1.7% 25 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Brevard County, private attorney clients have a 1.6% dismissal rate for Battery compared to 2.9% for public defender clients. This is a -1.3 percentage point difference based on 399 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Battery in Brevard County is 83.4% with a public defender and 81.1% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.7% for public defenders and 1.9% for private attorneys. Brevard County's difference of -1.3 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.8 points.

Conviction includes guilty pleas and adjudication withheld. Data covers 2023–2025 FDLE public court records. Last updated: March 2026

Important: Differences in outcomes between public defenders and private attorneys may reflect differences in case complexity, defendant resources, charge severity, and other factors — not solely attorney quality. These statistics do not predict individual case outcomes.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 399 cases analyzed · Brevard County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026