Methodology

Updated July 2026 · 2023-2025 data

Data Source

All statistics on FloridaCourtFile.com are derived from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Criminal Justice Data Transparency (CJDT) initiative. This data is published pursuant to FL Statute 900.05, which requires FDLE to compile and publish criminal justice data for public access.

The CJDT data includes Clerk of Court case records submitted by all 67 Florida counties. Each record contains charge information, disposition outcomes, sentencing details, counsel type, and demographic data.

Key Definitions

Guilty Rate
The percentage of cases where the defendant was found guilty and formally adjudicated. This includes cases resolved by plea and trial conviction.
Adjudication Withheld
A Florida-specific disposition where the court finds sufficient evidence of guilt but withholds formal adjudication under FL Statute 948.01. The defendant avoids a formal conviction record, though the arrest and case remain public. This outcome is common in first-time offenses and lower-level charges.
Dismissal Rate
The percentage of cases dismissed by the prosecution or court, including nolle prosequi and other dismissal types.
Pre-Trial Diversion
Cases diverted to alternative programs (drug court, pre-trial intervention, etc.) where charges may be dropped upon successful program completion.
Average Sentence
The mean sentence length (in days) for defendants found guilty, including both prison and jail sentences.
Average Fine
The mean fine amount imposed on defendants, including court costs and other financial penalties.

Coverage

Our database contains 1,699,577+ case records covering dispositions from 2023-2025 across 66 Florida counties and 20 judicial circuits.

The Headline Window

The main numbers on each page — total cases, guilty rate, dismissal rate, average sentence — are shown for 2025 wherever the data supports it. Court practices change: a dismissal rate from three years ago can mislead someone facing a charge today, so we lead with the most recent full year.

A single-year rate is only trustworthy when it rests on enough cases. When a charge in a county had fewer than 30 cases resolved in 2025, one or two cases can swing the rate by several points — too unstable to publish as a headline. On those pages we show multi-year figures instead, pooled across 2023-2025, and label them that way.

Every figure carries its window in parentheses — (2025) for current-year figures, (2023-2025) for pooled figures — so you always know which period a number describes. Pages are never mixed within a statistic: a rate labeled 2025 is computed only from cases resolved in 2025.

Data Updates

FDLE updates the CJDT data on a monthly basis. We refresh our database accordingly. Data last updated July 2026.

Quality Controls

Limitations