How does jury duty work in Florida for new residents?

To serve, Florida law says you must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen, and a legal resident of Florida and of your county. Jurors are drawn from a list of county residents who hold a Florida driver license or ID card. The state sends that list to the clerk of the circuit court in each county every 3 months. Unless a court orders otherwise, a summons is sent at least 14 days before you are due in court.

You may ask to be excused if you are 70 or older, and you can ask in writing to be excused for good. You may also ask if you are expecting a baby or gave birth within 6 months of the reporting date, if you are a parent who is not employed full time and has custody of a child under 6, if you care for someone who cannot care for themselves, or if you are a full-time student aged 18 to 21. After you report for jury service in your county, you are exempt for 1 year. You can ask to postpone service for up to 6 months.

If your employer keeps paying you, you get no juror pay for the first 3 days. If you are not employed, or not paid while you serve, you get $15 a day for the first 3 days. From the fourth day on, jurors get $30 a day. Florida does not require employers to pay workers during jury duty, but an employer may not fire you because of it. A juror who fails to show up without a good excuse can be fined up to $100.

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