Traffic Offense in Pinellas County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Pinellas County, we compared 192 Traffic Offense cases with public defenders against 208 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Both counsel types had similar dismissal rates.

0.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
192 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
208 cases
0.0 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 192 208 18,335
Dismissal Rate 0.0% 0.0% 1.7%
Conviction Rate 90.6% 96.6% 97.5%
Guilty Rate 67.7% 70.7% 72.8%
Adjudication Withheld 22.9% 26.0% 24.7%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.5% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 4.7 months 9.0 months 2.9 months
Avg Fine $210.04 $341.49 $243.52
Avg Probation 1 year, 3 months 11.9 months 10.0 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). Pinellas County's 0.0 point difference is below the statewide average.

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

Other Charges in Pinellas County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 1,043 0.0% 405 0.0%
Battery 423 0.5% 174 0.6%
DUI 275 0.0% 279 0.7%
Larceny / Theft 234 0.0% 123 2.4%
Other 137 0.0% 117 0.0%
Resisting Officer 146 0.0% 68 0.0%
Sex Offense 105 2.9% 102 0.0%
Fraud 123 0.0% 78 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Pinellas County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Traffic Offense compared to 0.0% for public defender clients. This is a 0.0 percentage point difference based on 400 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Traffic Offense in Pinellas County is 90.6% with a public defender and 96.6% 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. Pinellas County's difference of 0.0 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 · 400 cases analyzed · Pinellas County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026