DUI in St. Johns County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In St. Johns County, we compared 479 DUI cases with public defenders against 496 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 3.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

4.4%
PD Dismissal Rate
479 cases
0.6%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
496 cases
-3.8 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 479 496 37
Dismissal Rate 4.4% 0.6% 5.4%
Conviction Rate 94.2% 96.8% 91.9%
Guilty Rate 93.3% 94.8% 91.9%
Adjudication Withheld 0.8% 2.0% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 1.0% 1.8% 2.7%
Avg Sentence 3.1 months 2.8 months 2.5 months
Avg Fine $1,163 $1,266 $1,060
Avg Probation 1 year 1 year, 2 months 1 year, 1 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). St. Johns County's -3.8 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
St. Johns County 4.4% 0.6% -3.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 0.9% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in St. Johns County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,318 2.0% 2,536 0.4%
Drug Possession 1,724 1.2% 405 0.5%
Battery 855 3.2% 416 0.7%
Larceny / Theft 930 1.1% 289 0.3%
Resisting Officer 548 3.8% 212 0.5%
Other 347 2.9% 245 1.2%
Trespassing 539 3.5% 50 0.0%
Sex Offense 175 1.1% 280 1.4%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In St. Johns County, private attorney clients have a 0.6% dismissal rate for DUI compared to 4.4% for public defender clients. This is a -3.8 percentage point difference based on 975 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for DUI in St. Johns County is 94.2% with a public defender and 96.8% 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. St. Johns County's difference of -3.8 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 · 975 cases analyzed · St. Johns County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026