Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit, Florida

What Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit, Florida does

The Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit, Florida (PD6) is a constitutionally established Florida state government office that provides mandated legal representation to indigent adults and juveniles in Pinellas and Pasco Counties. Under elected Public Defender Sara Mollo, the office operates from three locations (Clearwater, Dade City, New Port Richey), employs more than 200 team members including approximately 100 attorneys, investigators, mitigation specialists, paralegals, legal secretaries, and mental health professionals, and handles over 50,000 cases annually for a service-area population of approximately 1.5 million residents. Eligibility is statutory — clients qualify at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines under Florida law and are appointed to PD6 by the Court upon filing an Affidavit of Insolvency.

PD6 delivers representation across felony, misdemeanor, criminal traffic, juvenile delinquency, Baker Act (involuntary commitment), civil commitment, and criminal contempt matters, and runs specialized specialty courts including Adult and Juvenile Drug Courts, Veterans Treatment Court, and Juvenile Boys/Girls Courts. Beyond in-court representation, the office operates an ecosystem of community programs: a Diversion and Recovery Program supported by the Pinellas and Pasco County Boards of County Commissioners, a Homeless Outreach Program with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, a Juvenile Crossover Program addressing dually-involved youth, and Public Defender Clinics with Stetson University College of Law in Criminal Advocacy and Juvenile Advocacy (with the co-founded Children's Law Clinic running since 2012). PD6 also publishes extensive health and human services resource directories for both counties.

The funding model is government appropriations: PD6 does not generate commercial revenue, charges only a court-routed $50 statutory application fee per appointed client, and cannot accept direct client payment. Distribution is structurally direct — clients do not "select" PD6 but are appointed by the Court, making the office a sole-mandate, regional public service monopoly over its defined catchment. Marketing is limited to public information channels (the flpd6.gov website and social media accounts) plus earned-media coverage of office activities.

Name

Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit, Florida

Legal name

Law Offices of Public Defender, Sara Mollo

Website

https://wearethehope.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit, Florida (PD6) is a constitutional government office that provides court-appointed legal representation to indigent adult and juvenile defendants across Pinellas and Pasco Counties, with 200+ staff and 50,000+ cases annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Defense Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention) (BPAIAFAF), Specialty & Problem-Solving Courts (Drug, Mental Health, Veterans, Family) (BPAIAFAG)

Keywords

• Public defense services
• Criminal defense representation
• Indigent legal representation
• Juvenile defense services
• Civil commitment defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Clearwater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriations: As a government entity, the office is primarily funded through state and county budget appropriations rather than direct client fees. Revenue is allocated by legislative bodies to support the constitutional mandate of providing legal representation to indigent defendants.
2. Client Application Fee: A $50 application fee is charged to clients for representation, due within 10 days of appointment. This fee is paid through the Clerk of the Court; the Public Defender's Office cannot accept direct payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit provides constitutionally mandated legal representation to indigent adult and juvenile defendants in Pinellas and Pasco Counties, Florida. Services span felony, misdemeanor, criminal traffic offenses, juvenile delinquency, Baker Act (involuntary mental health) proceedings, and civil commitment defense, supplemented by specialty courts (Drug Court, Veterans Treatment Court) and community outreach programs such as the Homeless Outreach and Diversion and Recovery programs.

Product overview

The Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit is a government legal services organization that provides criminal defense representation to indigent clients in Pinellas and Pasco Counties, Florida. The core offering is legal representation across multiple practice areas including felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile delinquency cases, supplemented by specialized programs such as Baker Act representation, involuntary civil commitment defense, and specialty courts (Drug Courts and Veterans Treatment Courts). The office also operates community collaboration programs including the Juvenile Crossover Program, Diversion and Recovery Program, Homeless Outreach Program, and Public Defender Clinics in partnership with Stetson University College of Law. Additionally, the office provides resource navigation services connecting clients to health, housing, mental health, and social services throughout the circuit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Criminal Defense Legal Representation

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50,000 cases handled per year across the Sixth Judicial Circuit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bay Area Legal ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Bay Area Legal Services employs alumni of Stetson's Child Advocacy Clinic (co-founded by PD6), including Ari Weisberg who mentors clinic alumni. Taylor Sartor, a 2018 clinic alumna, now works as an attorney at Bay Area Legal Services.
• Stetson University College of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPD6 collaborates with Stetson Law on Public Defender Clinics specializing in Criminal Advocacy and Juvenile Advocacy. Law students participate in externship and internship programs under PD6 attorney supervision. The co-founded Child Advocacy Clinic (launched 2012) gives students hands-on experience representing at-risk youth.
• Pinellas & Pasco County Boards of County CommissionerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPD6 participates in the Diversion and Recovery Program, supported by the Boards of County Commissioners in both Pinellas and Pasco Counties, providing alternatives to incarceration for qualifying defendants.
• Pinellas County Sheriff's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPD6 partners with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on the Homeless Outreach Program, providing legal services and support to individuals experiencing homelessness in the community.
• Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Defender Sara Mollo sits on the governing board of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, which supports services for at-risk youth and families.
• Pinellas Association of Criminal Defense LawyersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Defender Sara Mollo is a former president of the Pinellas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a professional organization for criminal defense attorneys in the circuit.
• Florida Association of Criminal Defense LawyersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Defender Sara Mollo serves as legislative co-chair of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the statewide professional organization for criminal defense counsel.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Florida Public Defender Association: Statewide membership association of Florida's circuit public defender offices. Provides legislative advocacy, training, and policy coordination across the public defender system in which PD6 operates.
• State Attorney's Office, 6th Judicial Circuit (FL): Prosecutorial counterpart operating in the same judicial circuit. While representing the opposing side in criminal matters, the office directly interacts with PD6 on every case and shares the same circuit footprint and operational scale.

Emerging players

• Bay Area Legal Services: Regional civil legal aid organization serving the Tampa Bay area. Provides civil legal services to low-income residents and is a documented partner of PD6 via shared Stetson Clinic alumni, representing an adjacent mission and referral network.
• Community Law Program: St. Petersburg-based civil legal services nonprofit serving low-income residents in Pinellas County. Complementary provider of legal aid services that intersects with PD6's criminal defense work through shared clients.

Direct peers

• Office of the Public Defender, 17th Judicial Circuit (Broward County, FL): Public defender office serving Broward County. Comparable scope and caseload mix, with similar multidisciplinary staffing and specialty court participation, making it a strong operational peer within the Florida system.
• Office of the Public Defender, 13th Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County, FL): Florida public defender office serving neighboring Hillsborough County. Operates under the same constitutional mandate with comparable practice areas (felony, misdemeanor, juvenile) and a similar multidisciplinary team structure, providing a directly comparable operational benchmark.
• Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, 5th Region: Florida state agency that handles cases where the local public defender has a conflict of interest. Shares the constitutional mission of providing representation to indigent clients and operates in overlapping geographic areas.
• Office of the Public Defender, 4th Judicial Circuit (Duval County, FL): Public defender office serving Duval County (Jacksonville). Comparable size, urban jurisdiction, and constitutional mandate, providing another directly comparable Florida circuit peer.
• Office of the Public Defender, 9th Judicial Circuit (Orange/Osceola, FL): Public defender office covering the Orlando metro area. Similar scale, jurisdiction, and statutory framework, including juvenile and specialty court programs.
• Office of the Public Defender, 11th Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade County, FL): Florida's largest public defender office serving Miami-Dade County. Functions under the same statutory framework at significantly greater scale, offering a high-volume reference point for circuit-level public defense operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PD6SaraMollo
• Facebookfacebook.com/PD6SaraMollo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/office-of-the-public-defender-6th-judicial-circuit-florida
• Instagraminstagram.com/pd6saramollo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Office of the Public Defender, 6th Judicial Circuit, Florida