What Happens If You Miss Jury Duty in Florida?

If you miss jury duty in Florida without a valid excuse, the court that summoned you can fine you up to $100 and treat the no-show as contempt.

The clerk of court mails a notice first.

If you ignore that too, the case moves toward a judge instead of the mailroom.

A single missed summons can turn into a fine, a court date, or nothing at all.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Florida’s jury rules and fine amounts are subject to change, so confirm the current process with your county clerk of court’s jury office.

Florida’s $100 Fine

Florida law caps the fine for skipping jury duty at $100.

That figure comes straight from the state’s jury statute, which lets the court that summoned you fine anyone who fails to appear “without any sufficient excuse.”

It’s a ceiling, not a bill you’re guaranteed to pay.

A judge sets the actual figure case by case, and many first-time no-shows land well under the cap once they explain what happened.

The judge decides alone.

Florida hides other fine print the same way, including inside car insurance policies many drivers never read closely.

How the Failure-to-Appear Process Works

Florida’s court system doesn’t send anyone to track down a juror who misses a single report date.

The clerk of court mails a failure-to-appear notice instead, asking you to call the jury office and explain what happened.

No knock at the door.

Ignore that notice too, and the case moves in front of a judge, who can schedule an Order to Show Cause hearing and require you to explain, in person, why you didn’t report.

Skip that hearing, and the judge can issue a warrant for your arrest, the only point in this whole process where an arrest enters the picture at all.

Contact the jury office the moment you realize you missed your date instead of waiting on a letter.

When It Becomes Contempt of Court

Florida courts can treat an unexcused no-show as contempt under the same statute that sets the $100 fine.

A judge weighing contempt at that Order to Show Cause hearing has more than one lever to pull: Rescheduled jury service, community service, an added fine, or, for someone who keeps ignoring the court, jail time.

Jail is the exception.

Judges rarely reach for the harshest option first.

Many contempt findings against a juror end with rescheduled service or a modest fine, and the harsher penalties tend to land on people who ignore the court’s follow-up entirely, not on someone who missed one date and explained why.

Can You Still Reschedule After You’ve Already Missed It?

Florida’s easiest fix for a jury summons only works if you use it before your report date arrives.

State law allows one postponement of up to six months, no excuse required.

Many counties now take that request through an online juror portal.

Clerks like Miami-Dade and Broward ask for it at least seven days before the report date.

Miss that window, and the postponement option disappears.

The story isn’t over.

Florida’s clerks still let many first-time no-shows fix a missed date after the fact.

Call the jury office and explain what happened.

Ask for a new report date before the case moves toward a contempt hearing.

Wait for a mailed notice instead, and a judge decides what happens next, not a clerk.

Being 70 Doesn't Excuse a Missed Summons on Its Own

Florida lets anyone 70 or older skip jury service, but only after they ask for it.

Florida Statute 40.013 excuses a juror 70 or older upon request, not automatically.

Age alone doesn't trigger it.

A 70-year-old who ignores a summons without ever filing for the excusal lands on the same failure-to-appear track as any other no-show: A possible fine, a mailed notice, and contempt exposure if that notice goes unanswered too.

Filing for the excusal after the fact doesn't undo that, either.

The excusal only works looking forward: It clears a future summons, not one already missed.

A permanent excusal follows the same rule, since it only removes a name from future jury lists.

Does Job Protection Still Apply If You Never Show Up?

Florida's job-protection law covers a juror who serves, not one who simply doesn't show.

Florida Statute 40.271 shields a person summoned or accepted for jury duty against being fired "because of the nature or length of service" on that jury.

Service triggers that protection.

Florida's clerks issue a Certificate of Jury Service as proof for an employer, and only someone who reported has one to show.

Someone who misses the report date has no certificate and no service behind it, so the ordinary employer attendance policy, not the juror-protection law, is what usually governs an unexcused absence.

A Missed Trial Day Hits Harder Than a Missed Summons

Florida treats a missed trial day very differently once a judge has already sworn you in as a juror.

A Palm Beach County juror named Deandre Somerville found that out in 2019, after he overslept and missed the second day of a civil trial he had been sworn in for the day before.

A circuit judge held him in criminal contempt.

Ten days beat the cap.

The sentence went far beyond a typical missed report date: 10 days in jail, probation, community service, and a $223 court-costs bill.

That's harsher than the fine-and-notice track that follows missing the initial report date since Somerville had already been chosen, sworn, and sent home with an order to return.

Missing a Federal Jury Summons Carries Its Own Penalty

Federal jury duty in Florida runs on a completely separate track from state court, with its own summons and its own failure-to-appear rules.

A summons from Florida's Southern, Middle, or Northern federal district doesn't come from your county clerk of court.

Postponing a state jury date won't touch a federal one, and a federal excusal won't clear a state summons either.

This court runs on its own math.

Missing a federal report date puts the decision in front of a U.S. district judge instead of a county clerk, who can order you to appear and explain why you skipped it.

Federal law caps the penalty at a $1,000 fine, three days in jail, community service, or some combination of the three, under Section 1866(g), a steeper ceiling than Florida's $100 state cap.

FAQ

Quick, straight answers to what Floridians ask most about missing jury duty.

What is the fine for missing jury duty in Florida?

Florida law caps the fine at $100 under Florida Statute 40.23, and a judge can also treat the no-show as contempt of court with penalties beyond that fine.

Can you go to jail for missing jury duty in Florida?

Rarely, and only through a contempt finding. Jail typically follows someone who ignores the court's follow-up order, not a single missed report date.

How do you reschedule jury duty in Florida?

Contact your county clerk of court's jury office, in writing or by phone, before your report date. Florida law allows one postponement of up to six months, no excuse required.

Are you excused from Florida jury duty at 70?

Yes. Florida Statute 40.013 lets anyone 70 or older skip a summons on request, or file for a permanent excusal from all future jury service.

Can your employer fire you for serving on a Florida jury?

No. Florida Statute 40.271 makes that illegal, and a fired juror can sue for back pay, punitive damages, and attorney's fees.