DUI in Osceola County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Osceola County, we compared 173 DUI cases with public defenders against 108 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.7 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.7%
PD Dismissal Rate
173 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
108 cases
-1.7 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 173 108 3
Dismissal Rate 1.7% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 89.6% 84.3% 66.7%
Guilty Rate 89.0% 84.3% 66.7%
Adjudication Withheld 0.6% 0.0% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 5.8% 15.7% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 25 days 21 days 2 days
Avg Fine $952.02 $927.16 $1,312
Avg Probation 0 year, 12 months 1 year, 8 months 0 year, 12 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). Osceola County's -1.7 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Osceola County 1.7% 0.0% -1.7 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 0.9% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Osceola County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,035 0.8% 218 2.3%
Larceny / Theft 535 3.2% 101 0.0%
Drug Possession 540 0.7% 83 2.4%
Battery 225 2.2% 81 4.9%
Resisting Officer 222 1.4% 47 2.1%
Trespassing 217 4.1% 20 0.0%
Other 156 1.9% 72 0.0%
Fraud 102 4.9% 33 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Osceola County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for DUI compared to 1.7% for public defender clients. This is a -1.7 percentage point difference based on 281 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for DUI in Osceola County is 89.6% with a public defender and 84.3% 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. Osceola County's difference of -1.7 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 · 281 cases analyzed · Osceola County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026