Drug Possession in Pinellas County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Pinellas County, we compared 1,043 Drug Possession cases with public defenders against 405 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Both counsel types had similar dismissal rates.

0.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,043 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
405 cases
0.0 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Drug Possession charges in Pinellas County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 1,043 405 20,127
Dismissal Rate 0.0% 0.0% 1.4%
Conviction Rate 75.9% 62.7% 95.3%
Guilty Rate 32.7% 33.1% 77.6%
Adjudication Withheld 43.2% 29.6% 17.7%
Diversion Rate 13.6% 34.1% 3.1%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 9 months 1 year, 5 months 1 year, 3 months
Avg Fine $143.06 $157.73 $150.34
Avg Probation 2.2 years 2.2 years 1 year, 10 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 Drug Possession is 1.0% with public defenders and 1.3% with private attorneys (0.3 point difference). Pinellas County's 0.0 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Pinellas County 0.0% 0.0% 0.0 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 1.3% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in Pinellas County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Battery 423 0.5% 174 0.6%
DUI 275 0.0% 279 0.7%
Traffic Offense 192 0.0% 208 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 234 0.0% 123 2.4%
Other 137 0.0% 117 0.0%
Resisting Officer 146 0.0% 68 0.0%
Sex Offense 105 2.9% 102 0.0%
Fraud 123 0.0% 78 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Pinellas County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Drug Possession compared to 0.0% for public defender clients. This is a 0.0 percentage point difference based on 1,448 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Possession in Pinellas County is 75.9% with a public defender and 62.7% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.0% for public defenders and 1.3% for private attorneys. Pinellas County's difference of 0.0 points compares to a statewide difference of 0.3 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 · 1,448 cases analyzed · Pinellas County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026