Drug Possession in Santa Rosa County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Santa Rosa County, we compared 1,200 Drug Possession cases with public defenders against 169 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.4 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.4%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,200 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
169 cases
-0.4 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Drug Possession charges in Santa Rosa County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 1,200 169 190
Dismissal Rate 0.4% 0.0% 1.6%
Conviction Rate 93.3% 69.2% 84.2%
Guilty Rate 75.8% 39.1% 51.6%
Adjudication Withheld 17.5% 30.2% 32.6%
Diversion Rate 6.2% 30.8% 14.2%
Avg Sentence 11.0 months 1 year, 4 months 1.9 months
Avg Fine $1,082 $268.99 $60.44
Avg Probation 2.2 years 2.1 years 11.5 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). Santa Rosa County's -0.4 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Santa Rosa County 0.4% 0.0% -0.4 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 1.3% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in Santa Rosa County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 689 0.6% 468 0.6%
Battery 698 0.6% 143 1.4%
DUI 424 0.9% 380 2.1%
Larceny / Theft 628 0.0% 171 0.6%
Other 311 1.9% 86 5.8%
Resisting Officer 240 1.7% 54 1.9%
Trespassing 211 0.0% 19 0.0%
Contempt of Court 153 0.7% 32 3.1%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Santa Rosa County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Drug Possession compared to 0.4% for public defender clients. This is a -0.4 percentage point difference based on 1,369 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Possession in Santa Rosa County is 93.3% with a public defender and 69.2% 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. Santa Rosa County's difference of -0.4 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 · 1,369 cases analyzed · Santa Rosa County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026