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

In St. Lucie County, we compared 35 Drug Trafficking cases with public defenders against 44 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.6 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.9%
PD Dismissal Rate
35 cases
2.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
44 cases
-0.6 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 35 44
Dismissal Rate 2.9% 2.3%
Conviction Rate 94.3% 88.6%
Guilty Rate 94.3% 88.6%
Adjudication Withheld 0.0% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 2.3%
Avg Sentence 8.2 years 7.5 years
Avg Fine $138,409 $77,368
Avg Probation 4.2 years 3.5 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). St. Lucie County's -0.6 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
St. Lucie County 2.9% 2.3% -0.6 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.8% 2.4% +0.6 pts

Other Charges in St. Lucie County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 1,314 8.3% 737 5.3%
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%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In St. Lucie County, private attorney clients have a 2.3% dismissal rate for Drug Trafficking compared to 2.9% for public defender clients. This is a -0.6 percentage point difference based on 79 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Trafficking in St. Lucie County is 94.3% with a public defender and 88.6% 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. St. Lucie County's difference of -0.6 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 · 79 cases analyzed · St. Lucie County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026