Drug Sale in Volusia County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Volusia County, we compared 202 Drug Sale cases with public defenders against 163 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Private attorneys achieved a 1.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
202 cases
2.5%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
163 cases
+1.5 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
The data shows private attorneys achieve a 1.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate for Drug Sale in Volusia County. Get matched with a local defense attorney — free, no obligation.

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 202 163 12
Dismissal Rate 1.0% 2.5% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 97.5% 96.9% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 92.1% 89.0% 83.3%
Adjudication Withheld 5.4% 8.0% 16.7%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.6% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 2.7 years 4.7 years 4.4 years
Avg Fine $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 4.4 years 5.4 years 3.7 years

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 Sale is 0.8% with public defenders and 0.7% with private attorneys (-0.1 point difference). Volusia County's 1.5 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Volusia County 1.0% 2.5% +1.5 pts
Florida (Statewide) 0.8% 0.7% -0.1 pts

Other Charges in Volusia County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 11,408 0.9% 2,054 0.7%
Other 5,872 47.2% 4,824 56.5%
Traffic Offense 4,880 2.9% 3,023 0.6%
Battery 4,261 3.0% 1,310 1.4%
Resisting Officer 3,018 2.3% 779 1.8%
Larceny / Theft 3,141 2.3% 584 1.2%
Trespassing 3,410 2.3% 135 2.2%
Sex Offense 882 1.4% 944 3.2%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Volusia County, private attorney clients have a 2.5% dismissal rate for Drug Sale compared to 1.0% for public defender clients. This is a 1.5 percentage point difference based on 365 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Sale in Volusia County is 97.5% with a public defender and 96.9% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 0.8% for public defenders and 0.7% for private attorneys. Volusia County's difference of 1.5 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.1 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 · 365 cases analyzed · Volusia County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026