DUI in Alachua County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Alachua County, we compared 369 DUI cases with public defenders against 156 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.8%
PD Dismissal Rate
369 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
156 cases
-0.8 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing DUI charges in Alachua County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 369 156 1
Dismissal Rate 0.8% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 93.0% 81.4% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 92.7% 81.4% 100.0%
Adjudication Withheld 0.3% 0.0% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 5.4% 16.7% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 4.8 months 3.9 months 0 days
Avg Fine $1,248 $1,295 $785.85
Avg Probation 1 year 1 year, 1 months 1 year

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 DUI is 1.3% with public defenders and 0.9% with private attorneys (-0.4 point difference). Alachua County's -0.8 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Alachua County 0.8% 0.0% -0.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 0.9% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Alachua County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,044 0.0% 292 0.0%
Battery 970 2.0% 130 2.3%
Larceny / Theft 978 0.7% 76 2.6%
Drug Possession 985 0.2% 67 0.0%
Trespassing 567 1.8% 35 0.0%
Other 410 2.4% 77 0.0%
Resisting Officer 346 1.2% 40 0.0%
Burglary 329 0.0% 21 0.0%

Need a Defense Attorney in Alachua County?

Get matched with a local attorney who handles DUI cases. Free, confidential, no obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions

In Alachua County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for DUI compared to 0.8% for public defender clients. This is a -0.8 percentage point difference based on 525 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for DUI in Alachua County is 93.0% with a public defender and 81.4% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.3% for public defenders and 0.9% for private attorneys. Alachua County's difference of -0.8 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.4 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 · 525 cases analyzed · Alachua County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026