Florida Public Defender Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
592032713
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Phone
8505459705
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$399,589
Expenses
$469,468
Assets
$712,046
Liabilities
$133,070

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STACY SCOTT (PRESIDENT)
  • KATHLEEN SMITH (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ASHLEI RICHARDSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ASHLEI RICHARDSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $180,800 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of Florida public defender association, inc. Is to secure an equitable justice system and ensure high quality legal representation for people facing loss of liberty.

What it reported doing in 2024

Spring/fall defender college is an intensive training program for assistant public defenders with less than 18 months of experience. It bridges the gap from law school, providing in-depth answers to foundational questions through a mix of large group lectures and small group practice sessions. Each participant receives preparatory materials and is expected to arrive each morning dressed for court, ready to engage in trial exercises. The program hosts 105 participants, with slots allocated per circuit, and includes 38 experienced group leaders who serve as both speakers and mentors. Leaders guide small groups of eight participants, offering hands-on feedback to strengthen trial skills. The income was $17,310 for spring training and $23,250 for the fall training. The voir dire training is an exclusive program tailored for felony assistant public defenders with three or more years of experience. This intensive training provides in-depth instruction on best practices in voir dire, preservation issues, and constitutional methods-ensuring attorneys develop the skills necessary to conduct effective jury selection. The program combines large group lecture sessions with small group practice workshops, allowing participants to immediately apply what they learn in a personalized, hands-on environment. Each attendee brings their own case to workshop, ensuring relevant, real-world application. Participants are placed in small groups of up to seven, each guided by two highly experienced assistant public defenders who serve as mentors and coaches. These group leaders provide targeted feedback, insight, and support, helping attorneys refine their voir dire techniques and strengthen their trial advocacy skills. This training is a unique opportunity for felony assistant public defenders to enhance their voir dire proficiency, sharpen their strategic approach, and gain mentorship from seasoned litigators-all within a collaborative, high impact learning environment. The income was $17,650 (41 attendants and 15 group leader/speakers. Only assistant public defenders were invited to attend and speak/train)

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 64% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -17.5%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.52; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 38.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: -5.3% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $181K · 24 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $108K reported
  • Consistency: 10 of 10 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 52/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.