Duval County Jury Duty: Summons, Pay, and Job Protection

If you’ve been summoned for Duval County jury duty, you’ll report to the Duval County Courthouse at 501 West Adams Street in downtown Jacksonville on the date printed on your summons, unless you qualify for an excusal, postpone your date, or confirm the night before that your group isn’t needed. Florida law sets who serves, how much you’re paid, and what happens if you don’t show up; the Duval County Clerk of Courts handles check-in, scheduling, and questions.

First Steps After You Get the Summons

Fill out the Juror Questionnaire using the juror number on your summons. You can complete it online through the Clerk of Courts portal or on the paper form that came in the envelope.¹

Then wait until the weekend before your service date and check whether you actually need to report. The Clerk’s site lets you look up your reporting status, and the automated phone line at (904) 255-2212 gives the same information.¹ If your group isn’t needed, your obligation is finished without you ever leaving home.

Who Qualifies and Who Doesn’t

Florida requires jurors to be at least 18, U.S. citizens, legal residents of Florida and of Duval County, and holders of a Florida driver’s license or state ID. If you don’t have either, you can still qualify by completing a separate affidavit.²

Two groups are barred from serving: anyone currently facing criminal prosecution, and anyone convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction who has not had their civil rights restored. Certain officials, including the Governor, judges, and clerks of court, also cannot serve, and full-time law enforcement and investigative personnel are excused unless they volunteer.³

Excusals You Can Request

Several categories of people can ask to be excused from a specific summons:

Expectant mothers, and parents not employed full-time who have custody of a child under six.³
Full-time students aged 18 to 21 enrolled at a high school, state university, Florida College System institution, private college, or career center.³
Caregivers responsible for someone who cannot care for themselves due to mental illness, intellectual disability, or other incapacity.³
People 70 and older, who can request excusal from a single summons or ask in writing to be permanently removed from the jury list (and later ask in writing to be added back).³
Anyone who served on a jury in Duval County within the past 12 months.³
Anyone with a hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity claim. The judge decides whether the reason qualifies.

A permanent excusal based on a physical or mental condition requires a written statement from a licensed physician submitted with your request.³

Postponing Your Date

If the date simply doesn’t work because of a prepaid vacation, a business trip, or similar conflict, you can request a one-time courtesy rescheduling through the Clerk’s online jury portal or by submitting a written request with your completed questionnaire.¹

Medical postponements use a separate form. Your healthcare provider needs to complete the “Excusal/Postponement of Jury Duty for Medical Reasons” form and submit it to the Clerk’s Office before your service date. The Clerk’s Office will let you know whether your request is granted or denied.¹

What To Bring and What To Leave Home

Bring your physical summons and a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. Dress business casual. Free juror parking is available at the garage at 125 N. Clay Street; show your summons to the attendant.¹ Give yourself extra time for traffic and the security line.

Reading material, laptops, and tablets are welcome for the downtime in the assembly room.¹ The prohibited list is long: weapons and knives of any kind, scissors, pepper spray, stun guns, tools, lighters, vaping devices, glass containers, and smart glasses capable of recording (such as Meta AI glasses). Security officers can turn away anything else they consider a safety concern.⁴ If you’re unsure about an item, leave it at home or in the car.

What Happens Once You’re There

Everything you carry goes through an X-ray machine, and you walk through a metal detector. Empty your pockets completely into the trays, including wallet, phone, and loose change.⁴

After security, head to the Jury Assembly Room on the second floor, Room 2379. Staff scan the barcode on your summons to check you in, and you’ll watch a short orientation video explaining how the day works.¹ From there you wait until a courtroom calls for a panel. A bailiff walks the group over for voir dire, where the judge and attorneys ask questions to decide who’s seated. If you’re not chosen, you return to the assembly room and may be sent to another panel or dismissed for the day. A lot of jury duty is waiting; schedules shift as cases settle or plea deals come together.

How Long You’re On the Hook

Duval County uses a “one trial” model. Your first day is normally limited to jury selection for trials that week. If you’re seated, you come back for the trial dates, and most trials wrap in one to two days. Your obligation ends when any one of three things happens: you served on a trial, you reported but weren’t selected, or the online or phone check-in told you your service wasn’t needed.¹

What Jury Duty Pays

Florida sets a modest pay structure. For your first three days of service:

If you’re employed and your employer keeps paying your regular wages, you get nothing from the court.⁵
If you’re not employed, or your employer isn’t paying you, the court pays $15 per day.⁵
From the fourth day on, everyone receives $30 per day regardless of employment status.⁵

There’s no separate reimbursement for travel, parking, or other out-of-pocket costs; that’s state law, not a Duval quirk.⁵ Compensation checks are mailed to the address on file after your service ends.

Your Job Is Protected

Florida law makes it illegal for your employer to fire you because you were summoned for jury duty, and the protection covers the full length of your service no matter how long the trial runs. Even threatening to fire you over jury service can be treated as contempt of the court that issued the summons.⁶

If you are fired, you can sue and recover compensatory damages, punitive damages, and reasonable attorney fees.⁶ The statute does not require private employers to pay your regular wages while you serve; whether your company pays you is between you and your employer.

What Happens If You Ignore the Summons

Skipping jury duty is not consequence-free. If you fail to appear without a valid excuse, the court can fine you up to $100 and may hold you in contempt, which can carry additional penalties at the judge’s discretion.⁷ Request a postponement or excusal in advance rather than simply not showing up.

Watch for Jury Duty Scams

Scammers call and email Duval County residents claiming to be from the courthouse, threatening arrest for missed jury duty and demanding immediate payment. The Clerk’s Office, the court, and law enforcement will never call or email asking for payment related to jury service, and they will never request payment by prepaid debit card or cryptocurrency.⁸

If a call feels off, hang up and dial the Clerk’s Office directly at (904) 255-2000 to confirm whether you have a pending summons. Scam calls can be reported to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at (904) 630-0500.⁸

1
Duval Clerk of Courts. Jury Service
2
Florida Senate. Florida Code 40.01 – Qualifications of Jurors
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 40.013 – Persons Disqualified or Excused From Jury Service
4
Duval Clerk of Courts. Courthouse Prohibited Items
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 40.24 – Compensation and Reimbursement Policy
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 40.271 – Jury Service
7
Justia. Florida Code 40.23 – Summoning Jurors
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Duval Clerk of Courts. Scam Alerts