What is a Public Defender?

The Public Defender is an elected official who has a constitutional duty to provide legal representation to those who are accused of a crime and cannot afford an attorney.  The Public Defender is responsible for protecting the constitutional and statutory rights of all citizens through the effective criminal legal representation of court-appointed clients.

Each circuit has its own elected public defender responsible for representing people who face the loss of their liberty and are determined by the court to be unable to pay for a private attorney. The Public Defender's Office is appointed by judges to represent those clients in criminal, juvenile and mental health matters in Florida 's courts.

The Public Defender in the 19^th Judicial Circuit is responsible for managing Assistant Public Defenders and staff in four local offices in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties.