JuryDuty101
Florida - List of Jury Duty Excuses
Florida - List of Jury Duty Excuses
Florida - Getting Excused From Jury Duty
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| Jury Duty Excuses Chart For Florida
| Situation | Jury Duty |
|---|---|
| Military |  |
| Elected Official |  |
| Student | |
| Breastfeeding Mother | |
| Police | |
| Medical Worker | |
| Firefighter | |
| Disablity | |
While jury duty is a civic requirement for all eligible citizens in Florida, there are a number of excuses that can be used to legally get out of being required to report for jury selection or jury duty, or receive a deferral.
Florida has a list of specific excuses that can be used to be exempt from reporting for jury duty, including excuses for military, student, breastfeeding, age, medical worker, firefighter and disability. You can also be excused if you don't meet the basic eligibility requirements for jury duty in FL.
Generally, if you qualify for one of the statutory excuses, you can respond to your jury duty summons letter with an excuse note containing proof of your excuse, and you will not have to report for jury selection.
| Florida Jury Duty Age Limit Excuse
Florida has a statutory exemption that allows individuals over a certain age to request exemption from jury duty. A person 70 years of age or older will excused from jury service upon written request, either from current summons or any further summons.
Upon written request they may also be reinstated
| Florida Elected Offical Jury Duty Excuse
In the state of Florida, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Cabinet officer, clerk of court, or judge cannot serve on jury.
| Florida Breast Feeding Mother Jury Duty Excuse
In the state of Florida, expecting mothers and any parent who is not employed full time and who has custody of a child under 6 years of age may be excused from jury duty
| Other Jury Duty Excuses in Florida
Upon written or oral request, the following persons are exempt from jury service:
Persons responsible for the care of a person who, because of mental illness, mental retardation, senility, or other physical or mental incapacity, is incapable of caring for themself.
A person showing hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity.
Any expectant mother and any parent who is not employed full time and who has custody of a child under 6 years of age
Any full-time federal, state, or local law enforcement officer or such entities’ investigative personnel may serve as jury only if they elect to do so.
Prosecuted or convicted felons, unless their civil rights have been restored, cannot serve on jury.
Practicing attorney or physician may be exempt at the presiding judge's discretion.
Jury duty may be postponed for a period of up to 6 months from original date by written or oral request.
Can I Get Excused From Jury Duty Because I Work?
In Florida, your employer is not allowed to penalize you for missing work for jury duty. Therefore, simply having a job isn't in itself enough to be excused from jury duty. However, some courts may excuse you if serving on a jury and missing work would cause undue hardship to either yourself or your employer.
Submitting A Jury Duty Excuse Letter
If you do not qualify for any of the Florida statutory exemptions listed above but seriously think that attending jury selection would cause you undue hardship, you can always submit a jury duty excuse letter with your response to the summons, and ask to be excused. It will be at the discretion of the court that summoned you whether to accept or deny your excuse.
Remember - A Jury Selection Summons Doesn't Mean You'll Be On A Jury
Keep in mind that your initial jury duty summons is only for attending jury selection day, where it will be decided if you are to actually serve on a jury during the "Voir Dire" process. If you can't get out of attending jury selection, there are many ways to raise the odds that you will be excused after jury selection without being selected to serve on a jury.