Traffic Offense in Franklin County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Franklin County, we compared 150 Traffic Offense cases with public defenders against 33 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.7 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.7%
PD Dismissal Rate
150 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
33 cases
-0.7 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 150 33 140
Dismissal Rate 0.7% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 68.0% 72.7% 17.1%
Guilty Rate 58.0% 48.5% 7.1%
Adjudication Withheld 10.0% 24.2% 10.0%
Diversion Rate 31.3% 27.3% 82.9%
Avg Sentence 2.1 months 11 days 28 days
Avg Fine $97.39 $295.78 $45.43
Avg Probation 9.2 months 5.9 months 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 Traffic Offense is 2.4% with public defenders and 3.6% with private attorneys (1.2 point difference). Franklin County's -0.7 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Franklin County 0.7% 0.0% -0.7 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.4% 3.6% +1.2 pts

Other Charges in Franklin County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Other 78 1.3% 21 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Franklin County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Traffic Offense compared to 0.7% for public defender clients. This is a -0.7 percentage point difference based on 183 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Traffic Offense in Franklin County is 68.0% with a public defender and 72.7% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.4% for public defenders and 3.6% for private attorneys. Franklin County's difference of -0.7 points compares to a statewide difference of 1.2 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 · 183 cases analyzed · Franklin County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026