Should You Hire a Private Attorney for Fraud in Florida?

We compared 15,272 Fraud cases with public defenders against 9,572 cases with private attorneys across Florida (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.2 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.3%
PD Dismissal Rate
15,272 cases
1.1%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
9,572 cases
-0.2 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Fraud charges in Florida?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 15,272 9,572 5,246
Dismissal Rate 1.3% 1.1% 3.7%
Conviction Rate 87.8% 73.2% 88.6%
Guilty Rate 69.4% 51.7% 70.6%
Adjudication Withheld 18.3% 21.4% 17.9%
Diversion Rate 9.6% 24.3% 7.2%
Avg Sentence 11.2 months 1 year, 8 months 1 year, 2 months
Avg Fine $450.42 $2,173 $192.55
Avg Probation 2.8 years 3.6 years 3.1 years

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+ Fraud cases.

County PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal Difference
Hillsborough 1,526 1.7% 2,747 1.9% +0.2 pts
Miami-Dade 1,833 0.7% 1,918 0.2% -0.5 pts
Palm Beach 1,420 1.0% 884 0.3% -0.7 pts
Volusia 1,379 2.6% 319 1.6% -1.0 pts
Duval 1,163 0.1% 391 0.5% +0.4 pts
Polk 799 0.8% 310 0.6% -0.2 pts
Pasco 770 0.6% 338 0.0% -0.6 pts
Orange 623 2.6% 254 2.4% -0.2 pts
Leon 526 4.2% 229 2.2% -2.0 pts
Lake 461 0.7% 237 0.4% -0.3 pts
Seminole 474 0.8% 187 0.0% -0.8 pts
Marion 464 0.6% 101 1.0% +0.4 pts
Collier 288 0.0% 209 0.0% 0.0 pts
Manatee 338 0.9% 103 1.0% +0.1 pts
St. Lucie 234 4.3% 196 7.1% +2.8 pts
Monroe 129 0.0% 240 0.8% +0.8 pts
St. Johns 268 2.2% 90 0.0% -2.2 pts
Martin 195 1.0% 146 0.7% -0.3 pts
Bay 235 0.9% 84 4.8% +3.9 pts
Okaloosa 231 0.4% 77 1.3% +0.9 pts
Pinellas 123 0.0% 78 0.0% 0.0 pts
Santa Rosa 139 0.0% 30 3.3% +3.3 pts
Alachua 110 0.0% 28 0.0% 0.0 pts
Osceola 102 4.9% 33 0.0% -4.9 pts
Lee 95 0.0% 39 0.0% 0.0 pts
Sumter 90 0.0% 32 0.0% 0.0 pts
Brevard 73 4.1% 22 0.0% -4.1 pts
Walton 55 7.3% 23 4.3% -3.0 pts

Facing Fraud Charges in Florida?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 24,844 Fraud cases in Florida (2023-2025), private attorney clients have a 1.1% dismissal rate compared to 1.3% for public defender clients. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
For Fraud in Florida, the conviction rate (guilty + adjudication withheld) is 87.8% with a public defender and 73.2% with a private attorney.
For Fraud cases with sentences imposed, the average sentence is 11.2 months with a public defender and 1 year, 8 months with a private attorney. Average fines are $450.42 (PD) vs $2,173 (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 · 24,844 cases analyzed · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026