DUI in Orange County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Orange County, we compared 1,190 DUI cases with public defenders against 2,671 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.3 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,190 cases
1.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
2,671 cases
-1.3 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 1,190 2,671
Dismissal Rate 2.6% 1.3%
Conviction Rate 67.7% 46.1%
Guilty Rate 66.3% 43.5%
Adjudication Withheld 1.4% 2.5%
Diversion Rate 27.6% 51.9%
Avg Sentence 14 days 18 days
Avg Fine $939.20 $936.85
Avg Probation 0 year, 12 months 11.5 months

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). Orange County's -1.3 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Orange County 2.6% 1.3% -1.3 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 0.9% -0.4 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%
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%
Weapons Offense 955 8.2% 578 3.8%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Orange County, private attorney clients have a 1.3% dismissal rate for DUI compared to 2.6% for public defender clients. This is a -1.3 percentage point difference based on 3,861 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for DUI in Orange County is 67.7% with a public defender and 46.1% 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. Orange County's difference of -1.3 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 · 3,861 cases analyzed · Orange County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026