My question involves criminal law for the state of: Florida
My situation: I was approached by an undercover officer while sitting in my car rolling a blunt. I had a friend there with me who received the same charge. I gave the officer everything up front and was polite so he disregarded some paraphenalia I had in the car. We were released PTA and my court date for my arraignment is approaching, but I have no idea how the system works. I'm a student going to college paying for school on loans alone, and my parents have no money either so I cannot afford a lawyer. When I called my public defenders office, they simply told me that I'd be appointed a lawyer if i could not afford one and hung up. I've also have heard that an arraignment is simply a hearing where I can only plead guilty or not, and if I plead guilt I would deny my opportunity to explain my situation to the judge with a lawyer. Now it's undeniable that I was in possession, but I want the judges to also understand that I cannot afford any kind of fine right now, in fact when I lost my Pell grant, I wasn't even able to afford books for the new semester. I just would like to know how to have a public defender explain my case. Do I plead not guilty or will they provide legal service before asking for my plea? Any information is appreciated.

