In order to ensure that individuals accused of a crime maintain their right to be heard before a jury of their peers, citizens over the age of 18 may, from time to time, be summoned to perform Jury Duty.  Jury duty in Florida is governed by Florida Statute Chapter 40.  It provides that jurors shall be taken from the pool of male and female persons at least 18 years old who are citizens of the United States, legal residents of the State of Florida, and who have a Florida driver license or identification card.  Every quarter, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles delivers to the Clerk of Court in each county the list of persons that qualify.  From there the local clerks process the information to generate the random jury summonses. Most times jury duty lasts for only one day, and many employers pay an employee who is absent for jury duty.

While Florida Statute 40.013 does provide various categories of persons that are either excluded or qualify for excusal from jury duty, remember that jury duty is a privilege of a free society.  And, as a bonus, jury duty can be an interesting and informative experience.

Most importantly, do not ignore your jury Summons; you can be arrested if you do.