Should You Hire a Private Attorney for Trespassing in Florida?

We compared 34,862 Trespassing cases with public defenders against 6,711 cases with private attorneys across Florida (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

5.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
34,862 cases
3.5%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
6,711 cases
-1.5 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Trespassing charges in Florida?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 34,862 6,711 17,695
Dismissal Rate 5.0% 3.5% 2.7%
Conviction Rate 87.7% 82.2% 94.0%
Guilty Rate 76.8% 65.3% 83.2%
Adjudication Withheld 10.9% 16.9% 10.9%
Diversion Rate 2.7% 12.9% 2.4%
Avg Sentence 2.0 months 3.0 months 1.1 months
Avg Fine $162.86 $240.58 $179.38
Avg Probation 12.0 months 1 year, 1 months 9.7 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. Public defenders carry heavier caseloads but have deep institutional knowledge of local courts. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

County-by-County Breakdown

Counties where both public defenders and private attorneys handled 20+ Trespassing cases.

County PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal Difference
Hillsborough 5,089 10.5% 3,347 5.8% -4.7 pts
Palm Beach 5,106 2.3% 505 0.2% -2.1 pts
Volusia 3,410 2.3% 135 2.2% -0.1 pts
Orange 2,222 10.4% 248 4.8% -5.6 pts
Duval 2,023 0.3% 309 0.0% -0.3 pts
Miami-Dade 2,123 8.8% 191 1.6% -7.2 pts
Leon 1,458 2.4% 125 1.6% -0.8 pts
Polk 1,222 6.3% 304 0.0% -6.3 pts
Pasco 1,312 3.9% 122 0.0% -3.9 pts
Marion 1,046 0.0% 22 0.0% 0.0 pts
Lake 907 5.5% 135 0.7% -4.8 pts
Seminole 947 4.0% 79 5.1% +1.1 pts
Monroe 359 0.3% 460 0.2% -0.1 pts
Manatee 672 11.5% 26 7.7% -3.8 pts
Collier 480 0.6% 134 0.0% -0.6 pts
Alachua 567 1.8% 35 0.0% -1.8 pts
St. Johns 539 3.5% 50 0.0% -3.5 pts
Bay 445 0.7% 29 3.4% +2.7 pts
St. Lucie 328 14.3% 46 0.0% -14.3 pts
Martin 320 3.1% 38 7.9% +4.8 pts
Okaloosa 276 0.7% 29 0.0% -0.7 pts
Lee 199 4.0% 42 0.0% -4.0 pts
Osceola 217 4.1% 20 0.0% -4.1 pts
Hendry 121 3.3% 24 0.0% -3.3 pts

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Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 41,573 Trespassing cases in Florida (2023-2025), private attorney clients have a 3.5% dismissal rate compared to 5.0% for public defender clients. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
For Trespassing in Florida, the conviction rate (guilty + adjudication withheld) is 87.7% with a public defender and 82.2% with a private attorney.
For Trespassing cases with sentences imposed, the average sentence is 2.0 months with a public defender and 3.0 months with a private attorney. Average fines are $162.86 (PD) vs $240.58 (private).

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 · 41,573 cases analyzed · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026