Drug Possession in St. Lucie County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In St. Lucie County, we compared 1,314 Drug Possession cases with public defenders against 737 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 3.0 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

8.3%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,314 cases
5.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
737 cases
-3.0 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 1,314 737 1
Dismissal Rate 8.3% 5.3% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 81.1% 82.0% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 70.7% 61.6% 0.0%
Adjudication Withheld 10.4% 20.4% 100.0%
Diversion Rate 5.8% 5.2% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 11.8 months 1 year, 9 months 0 days
Avg Fine $238.12 $247.93 $525.00
Avg Probation 1 year, 8 months 1 year, 8 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 Drug Possession is 1.0% with public defenders and 1.3% with private attorneys (0.3 point difference). St. Lucie County's -3.0 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
St. Lucie County 8.3% 5.3% -3.0 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 1.3% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in St. Lucie County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 672 0.7% 398 0.0%
Battery 576 12.2% 364 4.7%
DUI 370 0.5% 537 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 573 2.4% 268 1.1%
Other 377 2.7% 281 1.1%
Resisting Officer 420 7.1% 189 1.6%
Fraud 234 4.3% 196 7.1%
Sex Offense 230 1.7% 160 6.9%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In St. Lucie County, private attorney clients have a 5.3% dismissal rate for Drug Possession compared to 8.3% for public defender clients. This is a -3.0 percentage point difference based on 2,051 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Possession in St. Lucie County is 81.1% with a public defender and 82.0% 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. St. Lucie County's difference of -3.0 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 · 2,051 cases analyzed · St. Lucie County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026