Should You Hire a Private Attorney for Contempt of Court in Florida?

We compared 5,041 Contempt of Court cases with public defenders against 1,941 cases with private attorneys across Florida (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.3 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

6.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
5,041 cases
6.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
1,941 cases
-0.3 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Contempt of Court charges in Florida?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 5,041 1,941 1,586
Dismissal Rate 6.6% 6.3% 5.1%
Conviction Rate 86.8% 84.0% 91.7%
Guilty Rate 76.2% 62.0% 76.9%
Adjudication Withheld 10.6% 22.0% 14.9%
Diversion Rate 3.5% 7.4% 2.1%
Avg Sentence 4.5 months 4.7 months 5.1 months
Avg Fine $126.03 $157.42 $282.09
Avg Probation 1 year, 1 months 1 year, 2 months 11.3 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. Public defenders carry heavier caseloads but have deep institutional knowledge of local courts. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

County-by-County Breakdown

Counties where both public defenders and private attorneys handled 20+ Contempt of Court cases.

County PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal Difference
Duval 671 0.9% 198 3.5% +2.6 pts
Hillsborough 456 7.5% 361 3.0% -4.5 pts
Palm Beach 417 2.4% 211 7.6% +5.2 pts
Pasco 388 2.8% 159 0.0% -2.8 pts
Miami-Dade 248 4.8% 113 0.9% -3.9 pts
Brevard 223 78.0% 84 84.5% +6.5 pts
Volusia 219 5.0% 73 0.0% -5.0 pts
Marion 222 0.0% 30 0.0% 0.0 pts
Orange 173 6.9% 67 1.5% -5.4 pts
Seminole 154 3.2% 46 2.2% -1.0 pts
Polk 146 2.1% 51 0.0% -2.1 pts
Santa Rosa 153 0.7% 32 3.1% +2.4 pts
St. Johns 105 1.0% 51 2.0% +1.0 pts
Collier 80 2.5% 68 0.0% -2.5 pts
Lake 95 9.5% 50 0.0% -9.5 pts
Leon 118 9.3% 22 0.0% -9.3 pts
Okaloosa 97 2.1% 43 2.3% +0.2 pts
Manatee 108 4.6% 31 3.2% -1.4 pts
Monroe 34 0.0% 37 13.5% +13.5 pts
St. Lucie 25 0.0% 28 3.6% +3.6 pts
Martin 28 7.1% 23 17.4% +10.3 pts

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Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 6,982 Contempt of Court cases in Florida (2023-2025), private attorney clients have a 6.3% dismissal rate compared to 6.6% for public defender clients. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
For Contempt of Court in Florida, the conviction rate (guilty + adjudication withheld) is 86.8% with a public defender and 84.0% with a private attorney.
For Contempt of Court cases with sentences imposed, the average sentence is 4.5 months with a public defender and 4.7 months with a private attorney. Average fines are $126.03 (PD) vs $157.42 (private).

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 · 6,982 cases analyzed · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026