Other in Okaloosa County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Okaloosa County, we compared 377 Other cases with public defenders against 317 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.1%
PD Dismissal Rate
377 cases
0.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
317 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 377 317 2,700
Dismissal Rate 2.1% 0.3% 0.7%
Conviction Rate 86.2% 51.4% 8.8%
Guilty Rate 72.4% 36.9% 3.0%
Adjudication Withheld 13.8% 14.5% 5.7%
Diversion Rate 10.6% 48.3% 90.4%
Avg Sentence 3.2 years 3.1 years 11.3 months
Avg Fine $488.89 $479.00 $115.62
Avg Probation 2.4 years 1 year, 10 months 7.1 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 Other is 10.7% with public defenders and 19.5% with private attorneys (8.8 point difference). Okaloosa County's -1.8 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Okaloosa County 2.1% 0.3% -1.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 10.7% 19.5% +8.8 pts

Other Charges in Okaloosa County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,354 1.1% 719 1.1%
Drug Possession 1,418 0.3% 331 0.3%
DUI 415 0.5% 630 2.1%
Larceny / Theft 550 0.9% 123 2.4%
Battery 368 0.8% 239 2.1%
Resisting Officer 420 0.7% 154 2.6%
Sex Offense 220 4.5% 243 8.2%
Fraud 231 0.4% 77 1.3%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Okaloosa County, private attorney clients have a 0.3% dismissal rate for Other compared to 2.1% for public defender clients. This is a -1.8 percentage point difference based on 694 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Other in Okaloosa County is 86.2% with a public defender and 51.4% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 10.7% for public defenders and 19.5% for private attorneys. Okaloosa County's difference of -1.8 points compares to a statewide difference of 8.8 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 · 694 cases analyzed · Okaloosa County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026