DUI in Walton County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Walton County, we compared 226 DUI cases with public defenders against 228 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.7%
PD Dismissal Rate
226 cases
0.9%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
228 cases
-1.8 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 226 228 51
Dismissal Rate 2.7% 0.9% 3.9%
Conviction Rate 96.9% 98.7% 96.1%
Guilty Rate 96.0% 98.7% 96.1%
Adjudication Withheld 0.9% 0.0% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.4% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 2.2 months 1.1 months 1.1 months
Avg Fine $1,214 $1,197 $1,102
Avg Probation 1 year, 2 months 0 year, 12 months 12.0 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). Walton County's -1.8 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Walton County 2.7% 0.9% -1.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 0.9% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Walton County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 680 0.6% 254 1.6%
Drug Possession 677 5.6% 55 9.1%
Battery 290 6.9% 96 2.1%
Larceny / Theft 262 3.1% 42 2.4%
Other 175 11.4% 105 5.7%
Burglary 154 8.4% 17 17.6%
Resisting Officer 113 4.4% 25 12.0%
Disorderly Conduct 54 1.9% 27 3.7%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Walton County, private attorney clients have a 0.9% dismissal rate for DUI compared to 2.7% for public defender clients. This is a -1.8 percentage point difference based on 454 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for DUI in Walton County is 96.9% with a public defender and 98.7% 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. Walton County's difference of -1.8 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 · 454 cases analyzed · Walton County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026