Sex Offense in Seminole County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Seminole County, we compared 360 Sex Offense cases with public defenders against 485 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.6 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.8%
PD Dismissal Rate
360 cases
0.2%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
485 cases
-0.6 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 360 485 40
Dismissal Rate 0.8% 0.2% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 91.9% 82.7% 87.5%
Guilty Rate 81.9% 76.3% 40.0%
Adjudication Withheld 10.0% 6.4% 47.5%
Diversion Rate 6.7% 15.7% 12.5%
Avg Sentence 72.7 years 5.7 years 1.1 months
Avg Fine $242.22 $354.55 $330.00
Avg Probation 2.9 years 5.7 years 6.1 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 Sex Offense is 2.3% with public defenders and 2.0% with private attorneys (-0.3 point difference). Seminole County's -0.6 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Seminole County 0.8% 0.2% -0.6 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.3% 2.0% -0.3 pts

Other Charges in Seminole County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 2,383 1.0% 1,704 0.6%
Drug Possession 2,548 0.2% 910 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 2,332 0.8% 943 0.4%
Resisting Officer 1,450 1.3% 455 0.9%
Battery 1,055 3.1% 562 1.4%
Other 741 1.5% 641 5.3%
Trespassing 947 4.0% 79 5.1%
Fraud 474 0.8% 187 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Seminole County, private attorney clients have a 0.2% dismissal rate for Sex Offense compared to 0.8% for public defender clients. This is a -0.6 percentage point difference based on 845 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Sex Offense in Seminole County is 91.9% with a public defender and 82.7% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.3% for public defenders and 2.0% for private attorneys. Seminole County's difference of -0.6 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.3 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 · 845 cases analyzed · Seminole County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026