Florida Florida Statutes

§ 27.51 — Duties of public defender

FS § 27.51Ch. 27

Statute text

(1)The public defender shall represent, without additional compensation, any person determined to be indigent under s. 27.52 and:(a) Under arrest for, or charged with, a felony;

(b)Under arrest for, or charged with:1. A misdemeanor authorized for prosecution by the state attorney; 2. A violation of chapter 316 punishable by imprisonment; 3. Criminal contempt; or 4. A violation of a special law or county or municipal ordinance ancillary to a state charge, or if not ancillary to a state charge, only if the public defender contracts with the county or municipality to provide representation pursuant to ss. 27.54 and 125.69. The public defender shall not provide representation pursuant to this paragraph if the court, prior to trial, files in the cause an order of no imprisonment as provided in s. 27.512;

(c)Alleged to be a delinquent child pursuant to a petition filed before a circuit court;

(d)Sought by petition filed in such court to be involuntarily placed as a mentally ill person under part I of chapter 394, involuntarily committed as a sexually violent predator under part V of chapter 394, or involuntarily admitted to residential services as a person with developmental disabilities under chapter 393. A public defender shall not represent any plaintiff in a civil action brought under the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, or the federal statutes, or represent a petitioner in a rule challenge under chapter 120, unless specifically authorized by statute;

(e)Convicted and sentenced to death, for purposes of handling an appeal to the Supreme Court; or

(f)Is appealing a matter in a case arising under paragraphs (a)-(d).

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Legislative history

s. 2, ch. 63-409; s. 1, ch. 67-539; ss. 19, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 71-28; s. 1, ch. 72-327; s. 1, ch. 72-722; s. 1, ch. 73-216; s. 4, ch. 73-334; s. 3, ch. 77-147; s. 1, ch. 79-588; s. 2, ch. 80-376; ss. 2, 6, ch. 85-332; s. 11, ch. 87-133; s. 1, ch. 89-308; s. 8, ch. 91-45; s. 138, ch. 95-147; s. 15, ch. 95-195; s. 4, ch. 96-232; s. 2, ch. 97-107; s. 2, ch. 99-222; s. 12, ch. 2000-3; s. 15, ch. 2003-402; s. 8, ch. 2004-265; s. 4, ch. 2006-1; s. 1, ch. 2014-59; s. 4, ch. 2020-61; s. 1, ch. 2021-18; s. 1, ch. 2022-163.