Traffic Offense in Polk County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Polk County, we compared 2,995 Traffic Offense cases with public defenders against 1,336 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.2 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.4%
PD Dismissal Rate
2,995 cases
0.2%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
1,336 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 2,995 1,336 17,296
Dismissal Rate 0.4% 0.2% 0.1%
Conviction Rate 97.2% 97.8% 79.1%
Guilty Rate 81.1% 64.0% 44.9%
Adjudication Withheld 16.1% 33.8% 34.2%
Diversion Rate 1.0% 1.7% 20.8%
Avg Sentence 2.9 months 3.6 months 1.7 months
Avg Fine $103.72 $110.27 $92.06
Avg Probation 10.3 months 10.0 months 9.9 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). Polk County's -0.2 point difference is below the statewide average.

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

Other Charges in Polk County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 5,606 0.1% 2,094 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 2,316 0.9% 989 0.1%
Resisting Officer 2,052 1.6% 797 0.3%
Battery 1,765 2.2% 823 0.4%
Other 1,332 8.8% 803 1.6%
Trespassing 1,222 6.3% 304 0.0%
DUI 699 1.6% 641 0.0%
Sex Offense 710 1.3% 477 0.4%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Polk County, private attorney clients have a 0.2% dismissal rate for Traffic Offense compared to 0.4% for public defender clients. This is a -0.2 percentage point difference based on 4,331 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Traffic Offense in Polk County is 97.2% with a public defender and 97.8% 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. Polk 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 · 4,331 cases analyzed · Polk County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026