DUI in Seminole County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Seminole County, we compared 196 DUI cases with public defenders against 262 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.1 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.5%
PD Dismissal Rate
196 cases
0.4%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
262 cases
-0.1 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 196 262 130
Dismissal Rate 0.5% 0.4% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 92.3% 90.8% 70.0%
Guilty Rate 92.3% 90.5% 69.2%
Adjudication Withheld 0.0% 0.4% 0.8%
Diversion Rate 2.6% 3.8% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 2.0 months 3.6 months 2.1 months
Avg Fine $1,222 $1,540 $1,210
Avg Probation 12.0 months 1 year, 3 months 11.6 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). Seminole County's -0.1 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Seminole County 0.5% 0.4% -0.1 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 0.9% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Seminole County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 2,383 1.0% 1,704 0.6%
Drug Possession 2,548 0.2% 910 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 2,332 0.8% 943 0.4%
Resisting Officer 1,450 1.3% 455 0.9%
Battery 1,055 3.1% 562 1.4%
Other 741 1.5% 641 5.3%
Trespassing 947 4.0% 79 5.1%
Sex Offense 360 0.8% 485 0.2%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Seminole County, private attorney clients have a 0.4% dismissal rate for DUI compared to 0.5% for public defender clients. This is a -0.1 percentage point difference based on 458 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for DUI in Seminole County is 92.3% with a public defender and 90.8% 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. Seminole County's difference of -0.1 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 · 458 cases analyzed · Seminole County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026