Sumter County Jury Duty Questions
 

I've been called for Jury Duty in June. It is in Bushnell, FL. I don't drive, but my husband can take me. My question is: I could be there an hour or 8 hours on any given day, depending on how things go.

There are no cell phones allowed in the Court House. How do I let my husband know when I'm ready? He will not know whether to hang out and wait or go home and come back. Will they hold my cell phone and give it back when I come out?

Anyone else have to deal with this? I really don't mind this duty, but I have to say I wish it wasn't 30 minutes away. Thanks!

Call the court house, and ask them if they have a phone you can use to call Hubby, or if they can arrange transportation.

You can leave the cell phone in your car and then call him.

You will have to tell me if they still have the coffee pot that sounds like a moaning dog. I had Jury Duty in May 19, 2014. We sat in a pool for a few hours waiting for the Judge to work things out with the defense team and saved me potentially a 16 week Jury Trial. The person plead guilty.

That won't work, because she said she doesn't drive...and her husband will have the car.

I think there has to be public phones somewhere, so the OP shouldn't have a problem calling her husband when she is finished.

My jury duty a few years ago consisted of sitting around for a few hours on Monday, the judge coming in and saying that all the cases had been adjudicated that were lined up for the week and... "thanks for doing your duty, see ya later." :D


Based on my experience and friends that have mentioned the same happened to them (dismissed early on Monday), I would advise the hubby to go have a long breakfast and at least wait until noon...to see if CassieInVa calls him early. :shrug:

Dumb answer on my part. Sorry.

Don't give it a second thought...we all do it. :)

If you are 70 or older, you can get a waiver from jury duty.

They do not provide transportation services.

Call the clerk's office, tell them you do not have any transportation and you will be excused.

Probably the clerk at the desk will have a phone you can use, but call and ask

Maybe cell phones are allowed, but must be turned off while in the Court House.

Call the number on the postcard or letter you received. They can provide info. There is also a "jury manager" that is wonderful and always available to help.

The paperwork states that cell phones are not allowed in the courthouse.

I will just have my husband hang out for a few hours that first day.

Thanks everyone!

Just go day one and tell them you will find anyone guilt, no matter why. When they ask, you tell them that the police are always right so why shouldn't I find them guilty.

You will be home by end of day

I was recently called for jury duty in Marion county and went to the courthouse in Ocala. Approx 250 people were in the jury holding room and we were allowed to have cell phones there. You can not take your cell phones into the courtroom if you are selected and they will confiscate them and return them after your service. BTW, got there at 8:15a and we were all released by 11a. Be sure to call the number the night before to make sure they still need you.

This is Sumter County she is going to. And when I was there they do not allow cell phones in the building.

Either that or bring in 40 feet of one inch rope and tell them you're there to save taxpayers money and I don't believe they'll ask you to come back!:evil6:

No one over 70 needs to do Jury Duty in FL County Courts. At least, they asked those people while I was there if they wanted to still serve. Florida There were some people in the Jury Pool over 70.

Just tell them you believe everyone should receive the death penalty if found guilty
They make no contribution to society only drain it

I'm surprised they don't build a courthouse with cart path access in the Villages. There are lots of folks here happy to serve, but the transportation is a problem.

They were talking about moving the Court House to where the Pinellas Park library is now. I mean in that same area. Not sure if this in the works still. The Sumter County Court House is in a quite old and drafty according to them-- hearsay-- building.

I had Jury Duty on May 19, 2014 but we never got to the Jury Questions rounds as the Defendant Plea Guilty. I gather it was a very complicated case as it would have taken 16 weeks to try according to the Judge. Michelle Morley (Circuit Judge) << State of Florida Fifth Judicial Circuit

We had Judge Michelle Morley.

Makes me wonder
 

About our government, our legal system and lack of respect of the citizen.
Imagine if it is you on trial. Imagine you are paying an atty
200-300 an hour.

As to the original post, I'm sure she is not the only one. A phone call to the court should get an answer as to how to handle.

Correct. You never know but this may involve several days. Remember OJ?

Just curious, what does the attorney hourly rate have to do with the government not respecting the citizens? Please explain.

When I was called to Sumter County several years ago I found that the process was not any fun. The reason is they have the hardest most uncomfortable chairs and seating in the world! We sat around and sat around in these old wooden almost like church pews for hours waiting to figure out if we were going to get called or not. Thankfully the case was something that had just happened to me a few years ago which was a break-in at the house so they did not want me on the jury. But very uncomfortable process!

Really think hard if you are over 70 and wanting to serve on a jury. Yes, you want to do your duty; however, what happens if you are on a jury that lasts more than one day. What will happen if you get sick one day in the middle or the night before your jury duty. There are good reasons why the state exempts over 70. One never knows when health will intervene with personal plans.

I was just summoned for Jury duty on May 1, 2017 in the city of Bushnell for Sumter County. They do not allow cell phones in the Court House. You enter and go through a metal detector before going into the prospective Jury pool. The clerk said they sent out summons for 200 prospective jurors. 52 showed up at the Court House and the Judge release 4 more before selection started. I'm assuming being Florida, lots of folks opt out using the over 70 option to serve. She told us that the first Monday of the month was for criminal cases, and the 3rd Monday of the month was for civil cases (which usually last longer). The Judge came into the room and told us that there was 9 possible trials for that week between 3 Judges, but that he was the only Judge in the Court House that day. He had 2 cases, so the other cases must have been plea bargained out. 14 prospective jurors were selected for voir dire. Only seven jurors were selected. The Judge came back in and told us one of his cases plea bargained out at the last moment (according to him, "this happens a lot as their feet get closer to the fire", and they had seated the jury they needed. We were released by 11:15am. Below, is some FYI's concerning Florida Jury Duty.

The pool of prospective jurors is drawn at random from a list provided by the the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. This process began in 1998, which allows for the summonsing of all citizens in Florida with a valid Driver's License or Florida identification card.

What qualifications do I need to serve as a juror?

Jurors must be 18 years of age or older, citizens of the United States, and residents of the county in which they are summonsed.

What would disqualify me from serving as a juror?

If you are currently under prosecution for a crime or a convicted felon without your civil rights restored, you may not serve as a juror in the state of Florida.

What would exempt me from serving as a juror?

You may request exemption from jury duty if you meet any of the following criteria:

Persons 70 years of age or older
Expectant mothers
Persons not employed full-time who are responsible for the care of an infirmed or disabled family member
Parents not employed full-time with custody of a child(ren) under 6 years of age
Full-time law enforcement officers or investigators (must have arrest powers)
Currently attending school out of county/state
Currently serving in the military out of county/state
Served as a county juror within 1 year immediately preceding this jury date and not postponed or excused
I served as a Federal juror this year - why am I being summonsed?

Federal jury service is under the purview of the Federal court system, and is entirely separate from the state trial courts.

How long will I have to serve if summonsed?

Most juries are selected on the first day of jury service, which is usually an all day process. If you are selected as a juror, you will be instructed to return later in the week for that particular trial. Occasionally, a trial may last beyond one week, or a grand jury will be empaneled which may require an extended length of service. If you are not selected to serve as a juror, your service is over. Over 85% of jury trials last only one day.

How should I dress?

The dress code of the court is general business attire. To show proper respect for the court, we ask that you please refrain from wearing shorts, tank tops, or flip flops. You may wish to bring a sweater or jacket, as the courtrooms are air conditioned.

Will I be compensated for my service?

Jurors who are not regularly employed or who will not receive their regular salary while serving are entitled to receive $15.00 per day for the first three days of service. All jurors will receive $30.00 beginning with the fourth day of jury service and each day of service thereafter. The Juror Questionnaire Form must be completed prior to reporting for jury service and presented to the Clerk of Court upon check-in. For those eligible to receive payment, a check will be mailed within 10 days of completion of service by the Clerk of Court. There is no added compensation for mileage.

What happens if I fail to appear for jury duty?

Jury duty is governed under Chapter 40 of the Florida Statutes. Within this chapter are penalties for those who do not report for jury service: Any person who is duly summoned to attend as a juror in any court and who fails to attend without any sufficient excuse shall pay a fine not to exceed $100.00, which fine shall be imposed by the court to which the juror was summoned, and, in addition, such failure may be considered a contempt of court.

You probably got a sheet of paper that gives an area that states where you have reason(s) not to be able to participate, along with an envelop that's included. Also, if you're over 70 you are excluded.
I was "called" a few months ago and filled this out and sent it back...had not problem.

There's also:

"I don't believe that incarceration reduces crime" and
"I don't believe that money can compensate for an injury"

But if the judge does not believe you are sincere, you may find yourself in contempt of court. Same is true of your statement.

As soon as I say I have a JD degree I am usually booted off the Pool. There was a JD holding Juror in Sonoma County, CA around 1995 when I had Jury Duty there. Not sure if they kept her on the Jury Panel. The Prosecutor challenged me for cause when I described my interest in getting practical materials in libraries for survivors/victims of crimes. I had been looking over the collection that they had in their law library for useful stuff and the Judge there in Santa Rosa had said that he had seen me around. I would look over any library I encountered from February 28, 1976 onward for practical materials for survivors/victims of crimes. Starting from where I was trying to help my fellow Earl Wooster High School students in Reno, Nevada deal with the 2-24-1976 murder investigation in the slaying of Michelle Mitchell. 2-24 is also my birthday. Michelle was the daughter of my then English teacher at Earl Wooster HS and the Mitchell family would later give me and the late John Picollo a small Memorial Scholarship in the name of Michelle Mitchell.

I had been in Jury Pools in Pinellas County, FL; Federal CT in Ocala; and a first Juror Summons for Sumter County around 2006 as well. I asked that I could get a recusal from the Court Clerk for my 224 613 Project back around that time from Sumter County.

All I did was mention I had a JD and the Pinellas County Court Administrator dismissed me.

The Federal Judge thought I was hiding something so he removed me at his discretion. Which I was as I had no idea where to start explaining the 224 613 Project to a group of strangers with a stenographer taking down every word and the parties in the Federal case for 2009 were all Claremont, FL Police Officers. The Plaintiff was complaining about discrimination on the basis of race as he was a Hispanic-American who wanted to write his police reports Spanish. The Jury found for the employer but the judge had some harsh words for the police who had harassed this officer. News reports from Orlando told the story of what happened after I left.

There was also a former CIA manager as the Jury Foreman up in Ocala so I was also quite nervous around him as my 224 613 Project is very much international in focus.

Sez here that you can be excused from Jury Duty in Sumter County Florida due to "extreme inconvenience". I think not driving might fit that criteria.

Jury Duty - Courts - Sumter County Clerk of the Courts

Actually, they say that transportation problems cannot be used as a excuse. Florida

But there could always be an exception to these if you can argue hardship as you put forth.

Recently served in Sumter County. One of the first questions they ask upon arrival is "Do you have a current driver's license?" Then, once everyone is seated, and some official comes in and asks, "Is there anyone in here that does not have a valid driver's license?" They also state you are selected from driver's license records, so I wonder how you were you even chosen to appear. And, as others have said, you absolutely cannot take a cell phone into the courthouse. You go through a screening process upon entering the building.