The eighth judicial circuit’s first female public defender Stacy Scott was in Trenton on Monday, where she spoke at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting.
As the guest of County Judge Ed Philman, Scott spoke to Rotarians about what it means to be a public defender. Scott was appointed to the position by former Florida Governor Charlie Crist, as a replacement for C. Richard Park, who retired.

Trenton Rotary Club President Natasha Allen, Public Defender for the Eighth Judicial Circuit
Stacy Scott, Assistant Public Defender Susan Ward and County Judge Ed Philman.

Prior to starting work on Dec. 1 as the eighth judicial circuit’s new public defender, the University of Florida law school graduate worked 11 ½ years as an assistant public defender. She also worked almost two years as an assistant state attorney, as well as working in private practice for a short time. Scott’s credentials also include time spent working as an adjunct professor and as trial team coach at the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida.
As public defender for the eighth judicial circuit, Scott told Rotarians that she oversees 65 employees, 35 of whom are lawyers. With an annual budget of just under $5 million, the public defender’s office takes on 22,000 cases each year circuit-wide, which includes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties.
“We handle the cases at an average cost of $234 per case,” Scott explained. “That cost could never be matched in the private sector.”
As Scott pointed out, public defenders do not get to choose the clients they represent or the cases they take on.
“Our sole purpose is to represent people charged with a crime who cannot afford to get a lawyer,” Scott said. “The right to a fair trial is a fundamental right as it was written in the Bill of Rights. It’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity. The presumption of innocence doesn’t mean anything unless you have a fair trial.”
She pointed out that prior to 1963, anyone accused of a crime that could not afford a lawyer had to do without unless they were charged with murder and facing the death penalty.
While Scott commented that the judicial system is certainly not perfect, the United States does have the best system in the world.
“I truly believe that the outcome of a case should not depend on whether a person has money or not,” Scott said. “Most of our clients are good people who make mistakes.”
While many ask how a public defender can represent people charged with horrendous crimes like murder and molesting a child, Scott said that she deals with those cases by separating her feelings. She said her job as a public defender is to make sure the evidence is there and the rules are followed.
“The overwhelming majority of our cases are worked out through plea negotiations,” Scott said.
It costs a person charged with a criminal offense just $50 to be represented by a public defender in court. Yet, collection of the $50 fee is often a problem, according to Scott, who says she has plans to step up collections within the eighth judicial circuit.
“Our budget is dependent on those collections,” Scott said. “I am going to institute more of a collection because number one it’s a matter of personal responsibility and number two we just need it.”