Jury Duty in Tampa: Reporting, Pay, and What to Expect

If you’ve been summoned for jury duty in Tampa, your name was pulled at random from Florida driver’s license and ID records, and the summons in your hand is a legal order from the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.1Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers. How Do I Find Out More About Jury Duty? Ignoring it can cost you up to $100 under Florida law, so the first task is to read the whole summons and note your juror identification number, report date, time, and location.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 40.23

Check Your Juror Number Before You Go

The court doesn’t need every summoned juror every day. The night before your report date, and again the morning of, check whether your juror number is still active by visiting hillsclerk.com/jury or calling (813) 276-8100, extension 4747 (press 1).3Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Jury Services Your group may be released before you leave the house.

What you can’t do is skip this step and simply not show up. That’s how people end up on the wrong side of the $100 fine. If the information on the summons is wrong, cross it out and write in the correct name or address.3Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Jury Services

Postponing, Disqualification, and Excuses

The front of your summons has sections for claiming a postponement, a disqualification, or an excuse. Fill in the appropriate one and mail it to Jury Services at PO Box 3388, Tampa, FL 33601-3388, or email the Clerk’s office.3Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Jury Services

Postponement

If the date conflicts with work, travel, or another obligation, request a new date through the Clerk’s office using the instructions on the summons. A postponement isn’t an escape from service; a new summons will follow.

Who Is Disqualified

Some people are legally barred from serving. Under Florida law, you cannot serve if you are under 18, not a U.S. citizen, not a legal resident of Florida and Hillsborough County, currently under prosecution for any crime, or a convicted felon whose civil rights have not been restored.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 40 – Juries, Payment of Jurors and Due Process Costs5Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 40.013 – Persons Disqualified or Excused From Jury Service The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Cabinet officers, clerks of court, and judges are also disqualified.

Who Can Ask to Be Excused

Excuses aren’t automatic. You have to request one, and the court decides. Florida recognizes several categories:

  • People age 70 or older, upon request, with the option to request a permanent excusal in writing.
  • Expectant mothers.
  • Parents not employed full-time who have custody of a child under six.
  • Full-time students between 18 and 21 attending high school, a state university, a Florida College System institution, a private postsecondary school, or a career center.
  • Full-time law enforcement officers and investigative personnel, unless they choose to serve.
  • Anyone responsible for the care of a person who cannot care for themselves because of mental illness, intellectual disability, or physical incapacity.
  • Anyone who reported for jury service in Hillsborough County within the past year (exempt for one year from the last day served).
  • Anyone permanently unable to care for themselves due to a mental or physical condition, with a written statement from a licensed physician.

All these categories come from Florida Statute 40.013.5Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 40.013 – Persons Disqualified or Excused From Jury Service Mark the correct box on your summons and return it before your report date.

Where to Report

If your number is still active, report to the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse at 800 E. Twiggs Street in downtown Tampa by 8:00 AM.3Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Jury Services Build in extra time for security screening at the entrance, which runs like airport security. Knives, scissors, and similar items aren’t allowed.

Free Parking

Jurors get free validated parking at two garages: the City of Tampa Parking Garage at 901 E. Twiggs Street and the Fort Brooke Parking Garage at 107 N. Franklin Street.3Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Jury Services Have your ticket scanned when you check in. Park anywhere else and you won’t be reimbursed.

Dress Code and Phones

The court expects business casual. No shorts, tank tops, or flip-flops. You can bring your phone into the courthouse, but Florida rules require electronic devices to be off in the courtroom. Jurors cannot use phones to photograph proceedings, research the case, or communicate about deliberations. The judge collects devices from the jury during deliberations.

Disability Accommodations

If you need an accommodation, contact the ADA Coordinator at the Hillsborough County Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs Street, Room 604, Tampa, FL 33602, at (813) 272-7040 at least seven days before your date, or as soon as you receive the summons.3Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Jury Services Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, and physical accessibility modifications are all available.

How Long It Lasts

Plan for the whole day. There is no set ending time for court proceedings. Your service could wrap up on your report date, run through the week, or in rare cases stretch several weeks if you’re placed on a longer trial.3Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Jury Services If you report but aren’t selected, you’re typically done that day. If you are selected, you serve for the length of the trial.

Most Tampa summonses are for petit (trial) juries. Grand juries operate differently, with terms lasting six months, and your summons will say so if that’s what you’ve been called for.6Florida House of Representatives. Florida Statutes 905.01

What You’ll Be Paid

State juror pay in Florida is tiered, and what you receive depends on whether your employer keeps paying you:

  • Days one through three, employed jurors receiving regular wages: no state compensation.
  • Days one through three, unemployed jurors or those not receiving wages: $15 per day.
  • Day four and beyond, all jurors regardless of employment status: $30 per day.

These rates come from Florida Statute 40.24.7Florida Senate. Florida Code Title V Chapter 40 Section 40-24 On a multi-week trial the $30 rate accumulates, but it sits well below most people’s earnings.

Jury pay is taxable income. You report it as other income on your federal return. If your employer pays your regular wages during service but requires you to hand over your jury check, you can claim that surrendered amount as an adjustment to income, which cancels the tax on money you never kept.8Internal Revenue Service. Skills Warm Up – Jury Duty Pay Given to Employer

Your Job Is Protected, But Your Paycheck Might Not Be

Florida law prohibits any employer from firing or threatening to fire an employee because of service on a state grand or petit jury.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 40.271 What state law does not do is require your employer to pay you while you serve. Whether you receive your regular paycheck is between you and your employer, or set by company policy. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act likewise imposes no pay obligation on employers for jury time.10U.S. Department of Labor. Jury Duty

Federal jury service carries stronger protections. Employers who discharge, threaten, intimidate, or coerce an employee because of federal jury service can be ordered to reinstate the employee, pay lost wages, and face a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation, plus attorney’s fees.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment

If Your Summons Is From Federal Court

Tampa also houses the Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse. If your summons is from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida rather than the Hillsborough County Clerk, different rules apply. Federal qualifications require U.S. citizenship, age 18 or older, one year of residence in the judicial district, English proficiency, and no pending or past felony conviction with unrestored civil rights.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service Federal pay is $50 per day plus mileage, tolls, and parking reimbursement.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1871 – Fees Your summons will clearly indicate which court called you.

Jury Duty Scams

Scammers regularly call people claiming they missed jury duty and now owe a fine to avoid arrest, sometimes directing victims to fake websites that mimic official court pages and ask for Social Security numbers, birthdates, and payment.14Federal Trade Commission. Scammers Are Using Fake Websites in a Twist on Jury Duty Scams Real courts don’t call to threaten arrest, don’t demand payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer, and don’t ask for your Social Security number over the phone. If a caller does any of that, hang up. Actual penalties for missing jury duty in Florida move through the court system, not a phone call.