Traffic Offense in Madison County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Madison County, we compared 130 Traffic Offense cases with public defenders against 63 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 19.1 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

47.7%
PD Dismissal Rate
130 cases
28.6%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
63 cases
-19.1 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 130 63 254
Dismissal Rate 47.7% 28.6% 59.8%
Conviction Rate 50.0% 69.8% 38.6%
Guilty Rate 20.8% 4.8% 5.1%
Adjudication Withheld 29.2% 65.1% 33.5%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 23 days 0 days 5 days
Avg Fine $220.19 $264.63 $186.55
Avg Probation 8.5 months 1 year 6.7 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). Madison County's -19.1 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Madison County 47.7% 28.6% -19.1 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.4% 3.6% +1.2 pts

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Madison County, private attorney clients have a 28.6% dismissal rate for Traffic Offense compared to 47.7% for public defender clients. This is a -19.1 percentage point difference based on 193 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Traffic Offense in Madison County is 50.0% with a public defender and 69.8% 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. Madison County's difference of -19.1 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 · 193 cases analyzed · Madison County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026