Should You Hire a Private Attorney for Larceny / Theft in Florida?
We compared 58,603 Larceny / Theft cases with public defenders against 23,161 cases with private attorneys across Florida (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.1 percentage point higher dismissal rate.
Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney
| Metric | Public Defender | Private Attorney | Self-Represented |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cases | 58,603 | 23,161 | 22,821 |
| Dismissal Rate | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.8% |
| Conviction Rate | 90.2% | 71.5% | 82.8% |
| Guilty Rate | 75.9% | 51.0% | 59.3% |
| Adjudication Withheld | 14.3% | 20.5% | 23.6% |
| Diversion Rate | 6.7% | 26.1% | 15.0% |
| Avg Sentence | 8.7 months | 1 year, 2 months | 6.9 months |
| Avg Fine | $300.81 | $349.35 | $175.14 |
| Avg Probation | 1 year, 11 months | 2.6 years | 1 year, 2 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+ Larceny / Theft cases.
| County | PD Cases | PD Dismissal | Private Cases | Private Dismissal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade | 8,677 | 1.1% | 2,964 | 0.5% | -0.6 pts |
| Hillsborough | 4,182 | 3.6% | 6,784 | 3.2% | -0.4 pts |
| Palm Beach | 5,955 | 0.7% | 2,179 | 0.2% | -0.5 pts |
| Orange | 5,124 | 3.0% | 1,480 | 1.2% | -1.8 pts |
| Duval | 4,355 | 0.2% | 1,213 | 0.0% | -0.2 pts |
| Volusia | 3,141 | 2.3% | 584 | 1.2% | -1.1 pts |
| Polk | 2,316 | 0.9% | 989 | 0.1% | -0.8 pts |
| Seminole | 2,332 | 0.8% | 943 | 0.4% | -0.4 pts |
| Pasco | 2,368 | 1.0% | 700 | 0.3% | -0.7 pts |
| Marion | 2,243 | 0.2% | 212 | 0.5% | +0.3 pts |
| Lake | 1,693 | 1.6% | 649 | 0.3% | -1.3 pts |
| Leon | 1,829 | 2.1% | 466 | 0.0% | -2.1 pts |
| Manatee | 1,548 | 2.4% | 323 | 0.0% | -2.4 pts |
| Collier | 814 | 0.0% | 650 | 0.9% | +0.9 pts |
| St. Johns | 930 | 1.1% | 289 | 0.3% | -0.8 pts |
| Alachua | 978 | 0.7% | 76 | 2.6% | +1.9 pts |
| Martin | 579 | 1.7% | 366 | 0.3% | -1.4 pts |
| Bay | 768 | 0.5% | 155 | 3.2% | +2.7 pts |
| St. Lucie | 573 | 2.4% | 268 | 1.1% | -1.3 pts |
| Santa Rosa | 628 | 0.0% | 171 | 0.6% | +0.6 pts |
| Hernando | 652 | 0.5% | 44 | 0.0% | -0.5 pts |
| Monroe | 252 | 0.8% | 428 | 0.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Okaloosa | 550 | 0.9% | 123 | 2.4% | +1.5 pts |
| Osceola | 535 | 3.2% | 101 | 0.0% | -3.2 pts |
| Citrus | 477 | 0.8% | 53 | 3.8% | +3.0 pts |
| Lee | 389 | 1.3% | 124 | 0.0% | -1.3 pts |
| Brevard | 417 | 0.2% | 80 | 1.2% | +1.0 pts |
| Sumter | 406 | 0.2% | 84 | 0.0% | -0.2 pts |
| Putnam | 387 | 0.3% | 21 | 0.0% | -0.3 pts |
| Highlands | 330 | 2.7% | 34 | 0.0% | -2.7 pts |
| Pinellas | 234 | 0.0% | 123 | 2.4% | +2.4 pts |
| Columbia | 327 | 0.0% | 26 | 0.0% | 0.0 pts |
| Walton | 262 | 3.1% | 42 | 2.4% | -0.7 pts |
| Nassau | 223 | 0.0% | 26 | 0.0% | 0.0 pts |
| Okeechobee | 221 | 3.6% | 22 | 0.0% | -3.6 pts |
| Hendry | 170 | 0.6% | 43 | 0.0% | -0.6 pts |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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 · 81,764 cases analyzed · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026