Traffic Offense in Martin County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Martin County, we compared 1,172 Traffic Offense cases with public defenders against 1,139 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.2 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,172 cases
0.4%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
1,139 cases
-0.2 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 1,172 1,139 2,785
Dismissal Rate 0.6% 0.4% 0.2%
Conviction Rate 99.0% 99.3% 99.8%
Guilty Rate 86.9% 75.7% 46.9%
Adjudication Withheld 12.0% 23.6% 52.9%
Diversion Rate 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 3.0 months 2.8 months 1.1 months
Avg Fine $318.17 $358.18 $261.22
Avg Probation 7.9 months 8.0 months 6.5 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). Martin County's -0.2 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Martin County 0.6% 0.4% -0.2 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.4% 3.6% +1.2 pts

Other Charges in Martin County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 1,135 8.3% 911 4.9%
Other 690 37.7% 699 40.2%
DUI 527 0.2% 751 0.8%
Larceny / Theft 579 1.7% 366 0.3%
Sex Offense 449 0.4% 491 0.0%
Resisting Officer 458 2.8% 273 0.4%
Escape / Failure to Appear 567 48.5% 140 54.3%
Battery 455 4.4% 226 3.1%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Martin County, private attorney clients have a 0.4% dismissal rate for Traffic Offense compared to 0.6% for public defender clients. This is a -0.2 percentage point difference based on 2,311 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Traffic Offense in Martin County is 99.0% with a public defender and 99.3% 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. Martin County's difference of -0.2 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 · 2,311 cases analyzed · Martin County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026