Trespassing in Manatee County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Manatee County, we compared 672 Trespassing cases with public defenders against 26 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 3.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

11.5%
PD Dismissal Rate
672 cases
7.7%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
26 cases
-3.8 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 672 26 289
Dismissal Rate 11.5% 7.7% 3.8%
Conviction Rate 75.1% 61.5% 93.8%
Guilty Rate 67.4% 30.8% 84.4%
Adjudication Withheld 7.7% 30.8% 9.3%
Diversion Rate 4.0% 26.9% 1.7%
Avg Sentence 2.2 months 3.0 months 14 days
Avg Fine $48.56 $171.64 $62.39
Avg Probation 10.7 months 1 year, 1 months 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 Trespassing is 5.0% with public defenders and 3.5% with private attorneys (-1.5 point difference). Manatee County's -3.8 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Manatee County 11.5% 7.7% -3.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 5.0% 3.5% -1.5 pts

Other Charges in Manatee County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 2,462 1.9% 2,582 1.0%
Drug Possession 2,040 1.1% 229 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 1,548 2.4% 323 0.0%
Battery 1,188 3.9% 212 3.8%
Other 468 4.9% 195 1.5%
Resisting Officer 466 3.4% 77 1.3%
Fraud 338 0.9% 103 1.0%
Drug Sale 367 1.1% 63 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Manatee County, private attorney clients have a 7.7% dismissal rate for Trespassing compared to 11.5% for public defender clients. This is a -3.8 percentage point difference based on 698 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Trespassing in Manatee County is 75.1% with a public defender and 61.5% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 5.0% for public defenders and 3.5% for private attorneys. Manatee County's difference of -3.8 points compares to a statewide difference of -1.5 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 · 698 cases analyzed · Manatee County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026