Battery in Hardee County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Hardee County, we compared 156 Battery cases with public defenders against 17 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 14.1 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

14.1%
PD Dismissal Rate
156 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
17 cases
-14.1 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 156 17 9
Dismissal Rate 14.1% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 66.7% 70.6% 22.2%
Guilty Rate 60.3% 47.1% 22.2%
Adjudication Withheld 6.4% 23.5% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 17.3% 29.4% 77.8%
Avg Sentence 9.7 months 5.5 months 5.6 months
Avg Fine $173.27 $254.55 $400.00
Avg Probation 2.1 years 1 year, 5 months 0 days

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). Hardee County's -14.1 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Hardee County 14.1% 0.0% -14.1 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.7% 1.9% -0.8 pts

Other Charges in Hardee County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 312 6.7% 142 0.7%
DUI 56 3.6% 44 0.0%
Other 70 2.9% 20 5.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Hardee County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Battery compared to 14.1% for public defender clients. This is a -14.1 percentage point difference based on 173 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Battery in Hardee County is 66.7% with a public defender and 70.6% 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. Hardee County's difference of -14.1 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 · 173 cases analyzed · Hardee County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026