Reasons for Being Excused from Jury Service Medical reasons. Public necessity. Undue hardship. Dependent care. Student Status. Military conflict. Other reason deemed sufficient by the court.
Medical conditions, deafness, difficult sitting for long periods, people who know the defendant or officers, people who've been victims of crimes, financial hardship, and more will be excused. Depending on the county, they might call 100 people to select just 12.
Telephone requests for excusal or disqualification will not be accepted. You will only be able to request an excusal or disqualification through Clearview Juror Portal up to seven (7) days before the start date listed on your summons.
Six or twelve people, and alternates, make up a criminal jury. A unanimous decision must be reached before a defendant is found “guilty.” The State of Florida must prove the crime was committed “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Twelve persons shall constitute a jury to try all capital cases, and 6 persons shall constitute a jury to try all other criminal cases.
Petit Jury Petit juries, also known as trial juries, decide both criminal and civil cases. In a criminal case, a petit jury decides whether the Government has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime as charged.
The law requires twelve (12) jurors to be seated in a criminal case and only eight jurors are required in a civil case. In a criminal trial, the jury must find a defendant "guilty" or "not guilty" by a unanimous vote. In civil cases, the law requires a vote of at least three-fourths of the jury to reach a verdict.