Battery in Citrus County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Citrus County, we compared 555 Battery cases with public defenders against 152 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.6 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

3.2%
PD Dismissal Rate
555 cases
2.6%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
152 cases
-0.6 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 555 152
Dismissal Rate 3.2% 2.6%
Conviction Rate 84.3% 78.3%
Guilty Rate 69.5% 58.6%
Adjudication Withheld 14.8% 19.7%
Diversion Rate 9.0% 17.1%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 3 months 2.8 years
Avg Fine $259.04 $492.50
Avg Probation 1 year, 8 months 2.3 years

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). Citrus County's -0.6 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Citrus County 3.2% 2.6% -0.6 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.7% 1.9% -0.8 pts

Other Charges in Citrus County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 1,939 1.0% 244 0.8%
Traffic Offense 984 0.5% 165 0.6%
Other 489 2.5% 129 1.6%
Larceny / Theft 477 0.8% 53 3.8%
Resisting Officer 388 1.3% 65 3.1%
DUI 170 0.0% 112 1.8%
Sex Offense 100 0.0% 100 0.0%
Probation Violation 139 0.0% 15 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Citrus County, private attorney clients have a 2.6% dismissal rate for Battery compared to 3.2% for public defender clients. This is a -0.6 percentage point difference based on 707 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Battery in Citrus County is 84.3% with a public defender and 78.3% 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. Citrus County's difference of -0.6 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 · 707 cases analyzed · Citrus County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026