Drug Trafficking in Orange County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Orange County, we compared 64 Drug Trafficking cases with public defenders against 78 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 6.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

7.8%
PD Dismissal Rate
64 cases
1.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
78 cases
-6.5 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Drug Trafficking charges in Orange County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 64 78
Dismissal Rate 7.8% 1.3%
Conviction Rate 85.9% 97.4%
Guilty Rate 78.1% 91.0%
Adjudication Withheld 7.8% 6.4%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 5.0 years 7.9 years
Avg Fine $86,067 $116,346
Avg Probation 2.5 years 5.6 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 Trafficking is 1.8% with public defenders and 2.4% with private attorneys (0.6 point difference). Orange County's -6.5 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Orange County 7.8% 1.3% -6.5 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.8% 2.4% +0.6 pts

Other Charges in Orange County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 7,058 1.1% 1,080 1.2%
Traffic Offense 4,014 14.6% 3,298 11.6%
Larceny / Theft 5,124 3.0% 1,480 1.2%
DUI 1,190 2.6% 2,671 1.3%
Battery 2,384 6.2% 1,119 3.8%
Other 1,564 2.4% 1,446 2.4%
Resisting Officer 2,056 4.7% 466 2.8%
Trespassing 2,222 10.4% 248 4.8%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Orange County, private attorney clients have a 1.3% dismissal rate for Drug Trafficking compared to 7.8% for public defender clients. This is a -6.5 percentage point difference based on 142 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Trafficking in Orange County is 85.9% with a public defender and 97.4% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.8% for public defenders and 2.4% for private attorneys. Orange County's difference of -6.5 points compares to a statewide difference of 0.6 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 · 142 cases analyzed · Orange County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026