New moms will no longer have to report for jury duty in Florida

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Jury duty is often a major annoyance for those who get summoned to the courthouse.

The early call time, the missed work, and the hours of mostly sitting around can be an inconvenience, but thanks to a new bill, new moms will no longer have to report for jury duty.

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Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 461, a bill that created a new excusal for moms who recently gave birth.

To qualify for the excuse, a woman must have given birth within six months before the reporting date on a jury summons. The new mother can then request to be exempt from jury service.

Now that it is signed, the law will take effect on July 1.

Jury Duty: Who else qualifies, and who doesn’t?

Under Florida state law, jurors are selected at random from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles records, using those who have a driver’s license or ID card as a talent pool.

To qualify, a person must be 18 years old, U.S. citizen or legal resident of Florida, and a resident of the county where you are being summoned. You must also have a Florida driver license or ID card issued by the DHSMV.

If for some reason you want to be a juror and don’t hold a license, you can fill out an affidavit that will place you in the jury pool. However, you must fulfill the other three requirements.

Some people are automatically disqualified from being jurors. These include the governor and his cabinet, the clerks of court, judges, those who are under prosecution, felons, and anyone who has an interest in the issue that is on trial.

However, you can request to be excused from jury service if you match the following criteria:

• You are a full-time federal, state or local law enforcement or investigator

• You are pregnant

• You are a parent who does not have a full-time job and are caring for a child of a child under 6 years old

• You are 70 years old and above. In these situations, you can request to be permanently excused from jury duty.

• You are a caretaker for someone who cannot care for themselves “because of mental illness, intellectual disability, senility, or other physical or mental incapacity.

• You can request to be excused if you “can demonstrate hardship, extreme inconvenience or public necessity.”

A judge can also dismiss someone who is a practicing attorney, doctor, or has a physical disability. However, in the case of the hearing impaired, a judge cannot excuse a willing juror solely because of a hearing disability unless the judge finds that auditory discrimination is required to due to evidence or timeline concerns.

Jurors typically serve for the duration of the trial. Those who are employed with regular wages are not entitled to payment for the first three days of service, but those who are not regularly paid can get a compensation of $15 per day for the first three days of service.

After the first three days, each juror is entitled to be paid $30 per day afterward.

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