Florida / Justice Administrative Commission / Assistant Public Defender

Job-title file

Assistant Public Defender

Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.

1,332 employees hold this title in Justice Administrative Commission. Median total compensation for the role is $92,963, above the department median of $69,168.

Employees: 1,332
Total payroll: $128M
Role median: $92,963
Agency median: $69,168
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$23,342$150,168+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 1,332 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Assistant Public Defender pay vs. Florida

Across all employers in Florida, the median wage for Lawyers — about 55,210 people — is $133,180. Justice Administrative Commission pays a median base salary of $92,963 for this role, 30% below that figure — about the 21st percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Justice Administrative Commission sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$75,530

$99,720

$133,180

$196,100

$301,050

Justice Administrative Commission median · $92,963

The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in Florida, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Justice Administrative Commission’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Justice Administrative Commission’s median base salary is 42% below that national figure, about the 19th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$78,360

$102,990

$159,670

$221,370

$351,600

Justice Administrative Commission median · $92,963

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Florida range relative to the national one.

Computed over the 1,330 of 1,332 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Justice Administrative Commission is $92,963, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare jurisdictions

Assistant Public Defender beyond Florida

This role is reported in 2 jurisdictions. In Florida, the median of $92,963 ranks #1 of 2. See Assistant Public Defender across all of Florida →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

Rhode Island

$36,211 · 20

Median total compensation for comparable Assistant Public Defenderroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 2

Christine Cassano

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,751

Sub-department: 17Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,751
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,751
Hire date: 2000-02-14
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: G

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 004905

Christine Cassano works as a Assistant Public Defender for Justice Administrative Commission within 17Th Judicial Circuit. Hired in 2000, they have about 26 years of service as a salaried employee. Christine earned $119,751 in 2026.

Jessica Ziehler

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,715

Sub-department: 15Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,715
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,715
Hire date: 2015-01-01
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: A.

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 013535

Jessica Ziehler is a Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within 15Th Judicial Circuit. Hired in 2015, they have about 11 years of service, working salaried. 2026 total compensation came to $119,715.

Erica Kanganis

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,591

Sub-department: 20Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,591
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,591
Hire date: 2012-10-01
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 015268

At Justice Administrative Commission, Erica Kanganis serves as a Assistant Public Defender within 20Th Judicial Circuit. Their tenure dates to 2012, about 14 years, working salaried. Their 2026 pay totaled $119,591.

Kory Hill

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,566

Sub-department: 17Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,566
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,566
Hire date: 2003-01-10
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 007503

Kory Hill is a Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within 17Th Judicial Circuit. They have served since 2003 (about 23 years), working salaried. 2026 total compensation came to $119,566.

Derrick Castillo

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,555

Sub-department: 1St Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,555
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,555
Hire date: 2014-08-25
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 000906

Derrick Castillo holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within 1St Judicial Circuit. Their tenure dates to 2014, about 12 years as a salaried employee. In 2026, their total compensation was $119,555.

Stephanie Gagerie

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,512

Sub-department: 15Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,512
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,512
Hire date: 2012-11-05
Employment type: Salaried

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 006699

Stephanie Gagerie is a Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within 15Th Judicial Circuit. Hired in 2012, they have about 14 years of service, working salaried. 2026 total compensation came to $119,512.

Kenneth Daffin

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,496

Sub-department: 14Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,496
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,496
Hire date: 2005-10-17
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: B

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 013701

Kenneth Daffin works as a Assistant Public Defender for Justice Administrative Commission within 14Th Judicial Circuit. They have served since 2005 (about 21 years) as a salaried employee. Kenneth earned $119,496 in 2026.

Matthew Meredith

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,496

Sub-department: 14Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,496
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,496
Hire date: 1995-01-09
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: C

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 009143

At Justice Administrative Commission, Matthew Meredith serves as a Assistant Public Defender within 14Th Judicial Circuit. They have served since 1995 (about 31 years), working salaried. Their 2026 pay totaled $119,496.

Melina Buncome

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,466

Sub-department: 4Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,466
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,466
Hire date: 1994-09-12
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 004775

Melina Buncome works as a Assistant Public Defender for Justice Administrative Commission within 4Th Judicial Circuit. They have served since 1994 (about 32 years) as a salaried employee. Melina earned $119,466 in 2026.

Matthew Ream

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$119,453

Sub-department: 2Nd Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $119,453
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $119,453
Hire date: 1995-07-10
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 001900

Matthew Ream holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within 2Nd Judicial Circuit. They have served since 1995 (about 31 years) as a salaried employee. In 2026, their total compensation was $119,453.

Michael Dueker

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,955

Sub-department: Public Defender Appellate
Base pay: $118,955
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,955
Hire date: 2013-11-01
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: F

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 079764

Michael Dueker holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within Public Defender Appellate. Their tenure dates to 2013, about 13 years as a salaried employee. In 2026, their total compensation was $118,955.

Maurissa Jones

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,869

Sub-department: 15Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $118,869
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,869
Hire date: 2007-08-13
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 015782

Maurissa Jones works as a Assistant Public Defender for Justice Administrative Commission within 15Th Judicial Circuit. They have served since 2007 (about 19 years) as a salaried employee. Maurissa earned $118,869 in 2026.

Steven Bolotin

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,803

Sub-department: Public Defender Appellate
Base pay: $118,803
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,803
Hire date: 1984-10-01
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 072343

At Justice Administrative Commission, Steven Bolotin serves as a Assistant Public Defender within Public Defender Appellate. Hired in 1984, they have about 42 years of service, working salaried. Their 2026 pay totaled $118,803.

Stephanie Park

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,800

Sub-department: 7Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $118,800
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,800
Hire date: 2006-04-01
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: H

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 004293

Stephanie Park holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within 7Th Judicial Circuit. They have served since 2006 (about 20 years) as a salaried employee. In 2026, their total compensation was $118,800.

Darlene Rollins

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,755

Sub-department: 2Nd Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $118,755
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,755
Hire date: 2012-07-16
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 004101

At Justice Administrative Commission, Darlene Rollins serves as a Assistant Public Defender within 2Nd Judicial Circuit. Their tenure dates to 2012, about 14 years, working salaried. Their 2026 pay totaled $118,755.

Joseph Lawrence Jr.

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,628

Sub-department: 17Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $118,628
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,628
Hire date: 2002-05-24
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: W

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 009365

Joseph Lawrence Jr. works as a Assistant Public Defender for Justice Administrative Commission within 17Th Judicial Circuit. Their tenure dates to 2002, about 24 years as a salaried employee. Joseph earned $118,628 in 2026.

Jennifer Thornton

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,592

Sub-department: Public Defender Appellate
Base pay: $118,592
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,592
Hire date: 2014-08-04
Employment type: Salaried
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 071449

At Justice Administrative Commission, Jennifer Thornton serves as a Assistant Public Defender within Public Defender Appellate. They have served since 2014 (about 12 years), working salaried. Their 2026 pay totaled $118,592.

Usha Maharajh

Assistant Public Defender/Justice Administrative Commission

2026 total comp

$118,545

Sub-department: 19Th Judicial Circuit
Base pay: $118,545
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $118,545
Hire date: 2006-01-09
Employment type: Salaried

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 5901
Position Number: 011546

Usha Maharajh is a Assistant Public Defender at Justice Administrative Commission within 19Th Judicial Circuit. Hired in 2006, they have about 20 years of service, working salaried. 2026 total compensation came to $118,545.