Should You Hire a Private Attorney for Escape / Failure to Appear in Florida?

We compared 1,247 Escape / Failure to Appear cases with public defenders against 326 cases with private attorneys across Florida (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 5.1 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

31.8%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,247 cases
26.7%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
326 cases
-5.1 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Escape / Failure to Appear charges in Florida?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 1,247 326 732
Dismissal Rate 31.8% 26.7% 33.5%
Conviction Rate 65.0% 69.3% 65.2%
Guilty Rate 58.4% 62.9% 59.3%
Adjudication Withheld 6.7% 6.4% 5.9%
Diversion Rate 1.2% 2.5% 1.2%
Avg Sentence 2.3 years 2.6 years 1 year, 11 months
Avg Fine $283.89 $428.74 $147.58
Avg Probation 2.3 years 3.5 years 1 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. Public defenders carry heavier caseloads but have deep institutional knowledge of local courts. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

County-by-County Breakdown

Counties where both public defenders and private attorneys handled 20+ Escape / Failure to Appear cases.

County PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal Difference
Martin 567 48.5% 140 54.3% +5.8 pts
Pasco 216 0.9% 56 0.0% -0.9 pts
Okaloosa 208 55.3% 22 45.5% -9.8 pts

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Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 1,573 Escape / Failure to Appear cases in Florida (2023-2025), private attorney clients have a 26.7% dismissal rate compared to 31.8% for public defender clients. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
For Escape / Failure to Appear in Florida, the conviction rate (guilty + adjudication withheld) is 65.0% with a public defender and 69.3% with a private attorney.
For Escape / Failure to Appear cases with sentences imposed, the average sentence is 2.3 years with a public defender and 2.6 years with a private attorney. Average fines are $283.89 (PD) vs $428.74 (private).

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 · 1,573 cases analyzed · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026