Should You Hire a Private Attorney for Weapons Offense in Florida?

We compared 10,338 Weapons Offense cases with public defenders against 7,913 cases with private attorneys across Florida (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.4 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
10,338 cases
1.6%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
7,913 cases
-0.4 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Weapons Offense charges in Florida?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 10,338 7,913 2,186
Dismissal Rate 2.0% 1.6% 1.8%
Conviction Rate 90.9% 87.1% 90.1%
Guilty Rate 75.2% 68.8% 73.1%
Adjudication Withheld 15.7% 18.2% 16.9%
Diversion Rate 4.6% 8.7% 6.4%
Avg Sentence 2.7 years 3.4 years 3.7 years
Avg Fine $800.61 $2,763 $261.03
Avg Probation 2.5 years 2.6 years 2.1 years

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+ Weapons Offense cases.

County PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal Difference
Hillsborough 1,118 3.1% 2,270 2.9% -0.2 pts
Miami-Dade 1,637 2.5% 1,005 1.1% -1.4 pts
Duval 1,234 0.2% 1,008 0.1% -0.1 pts
Palm Beach 999 0.7% 767 1.0% +0.3 pts
Orange 955 8.2% 578 3.8% -4.4 pts
Volusia 595 1.3% 367 0.5% -0.8 pts
Leon 434 0.7% 236 0.4% -0.3 pts
Polk 329 0.3% 250 0.0% -0.3 pts
Pasco 303 0.3% 222 0.0% -0.3 pts
Seminole 237 0.0% 149 0.0% 0.0 pts
Lake 195 1.5% 132 2.3% +0.8 pts
Marion 267 0.0% 55 0.0% 0.0 pts
Manatee 197 1.5% 36 0.0% -1.5 pts
Collier 106 0.9% 116 0.0% -0.9 pts
Okaloosa 98 0.0% 72 0.0% 0.0 pts
St. Lucie 91 6.6% 76 0.0% -6.6 pts
Alachua 136 0.0% 28 0.0% 0.0 pts
St. Johns 71 0.0% 50 0.0% 0.0 pts
Bay 70 2.9% 47 8.5% +5.6 pts
Martin 48 4.2% 59 1.7% -2.5 pts
Lee 56 0.0% 50 0.0% 0.0 pts
Brevard 40 0.0% 39 0.0% 0.0 pts
Pinellas 53 0.0% 26 0.0% 0.0 pts

Facing Weapons Offense Charges in Florida?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 18,251 Weapons Offense cases in Florida (2023-2025), private attorney clients have a 1.6% dismissal rate compared to 2.0% for public defender clients. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
For Weapons Offense in Florida, the conviction rate (guilty + adjudication withheld) is 90.9% with a public defender and 87.1% with a private attorney.
For Weapons Offense cases with sentences imposed, the average sentence is 2.7 years with a public defender and 3.4 years with a private attorney. Average fines are $800.61 (PD) vs $2,763 (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 · 18,251 cases analyzed · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026