Legal Question in Criminal Law in Florida

You can either hire an attorney, or let the court know you are going to represent yourself if you don't want the public defender. You don't have the right to choose your public defender, but you can decide to either hire a new one or represent yourself.

With the exception of hiring a new attorney (or representing yourself which for 99.9% of people is a terrible idea), the only way to receive a new court appointed attorney is if there is a conflict of interest (as in the PDs office previously represented a victim or key witness in your case). If you feel your attorney is providing ineffective counsel, you can request a "Nelson Hearing" where the Court will inquire about the assistance the attorney is rendering. You should be very cautious about requesting this type of hearing because it may allow your attorney to reveal confidential information in order to show they are being effective.