Jury Duty Reporting FAQs

• Anyone who fails to report for jury service after being summoned may be subject to a fine not exceeding $100.00 (Section 40.23 of the Florida Statutes).
• In addition to the fine, you may also face contempt proceedings, which could result in the imposition of community service or other sanctions, including jail time.

Arrive at the courthouse at the reporting time shown on your summons. Pay special attention to the location of the courthouse on your summons:

Sarasota Jury Service 

Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center
2002 Ringling Blvd, 2nd Floor
Sarasota, FL 34237

Venice Jury Service

South County Courthouse
4004 S. Tamiami Trail
Venice, FL 34293

Jury service does not end at a specific time of day; plan to be present for the entire first day of jury service. In most cases, a juror will serve for the length of one trial, which can last multiple days. The Court reserves the right to have jurors “on call.” Whether or not you serve on a jury trial, your jury service for that day will be recognized as fulfilling your obligation for at least one year.

• If you are selected to be a seated juror, your service concludes when the case is resolved.
• If you are not seated as a juror, your service is concluded, and your obligation has been met for at least one year.

Proper attire for the courtroom:

• NO shorts, flip-flops, tank tops, or bathing attire
• Casual attire that you would wear to an office setting
• All courtrooms are air-conditioned and may require a jacket or sweater.

Sarasota jurors

Sarasota County Public Parking Garage
2150 Ringling Blvd. Sarasota, FL 34237 (corner of Ringling Boulevard & School Avenue)
Floors 1 & 2 are assigned for jurors, although any parking level can be used

JURY SUMMONS MAP: Sarasota Directions, Parking, Entrance Information(PDF, 45KB)

Venice jurors

Park in the open lot in front of the South County Courthouse
4004 S. Tamiami Trail Venice, FL 34293

JURY SUMMONS MAP: Venice Directions, Parking, Entrance Information(PDF, 206KB)

Place the juror parking permit (located on the Jury Summons) on your car's dashboard.

You are disqualified/ineligible for Jury Service if you:

• Are not a citizen of the United States
• Do not reside in Sarasota County
• Are a convicted felon and your civil rights have not been restored
• Are under prosecution for a crime
• Do not possess a valid Florida Driver’s License or identification card
• Have not requested to serve as a juror by affidavit
• Have been adjudicated incompetent, with your competency rights not restored

You will be paid for Jury Service in Sarasota County, as follows:

• Before reporting, check with your employer to see if you are paid your regular wages during jury service. Jurors who continue to receive regular wages during jury service will not receive compensation for the first 3 days of service.
• If you are not employed or do not continue to receive wages from your employer, you will be paid $15.00 per day for the first 3 days. After 3 days of service, all jurors are paid $30.00 per day.
• There is no compensation for mileage.

Upon request, you may be excused from jury duty for any of the following reasons:

• Expectant Mother or a woman who has given birth within six (6) months before the reporting date
• Parent who is not employed full-time and has custody of a child under 6 years of age
• Full-time law enforcement officer or among such entity's investigative personnel
• Served as a juror in Sarasota County within the last 365 days
• Person responsible for the care of another incapable of caring for themselves
• 70 years of age or older and wish to be excused at this time
• 70 years of age or older and wish to be excused permanently
• Full-time student between the ages of 18 - 21

To be excused, return the jury summons to the Jury Office and include a letter stating that you have been summoned and are not eligible to serve for one of the valid excusal reasons.

Yes. To reschedule or defer juror service, complete the Juror Excuse Statement(PDF, 293KB) and mail it to the Jury Office. The rescheduled date may not exceed 6 months from your original summons date.

Prospective jurors are randomly selected from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles records. These records include all Sarasota County residents, including those with only a Florida identification card.

If you have a disability that requires ADA accommodations for you to participate in a jury proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of assistance.

To request accommodations for Jury Duty:

• Contact the Sarasota County Jury Office, (941) 861-8000, at least 7 days before your scheduled jury duty or immediately upon receiving a jury summons.
  • If the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days, please call 711.
• If you are hearing or voice-impaired, please call 711.

This is a type of fraud in which a bad actor (scammer) contacts a citizen, informing them that a warrant was issued for their arrest for missing jury duty. The scammer presents themselves as an official of the court and requests a payment be made (often by a ‘green dot’ re-loadable debit card) for you to avoid embarrassment, arrest, and incarceration.

Employees of the Clerk’s Office or the Jury Office do not initiate contact or communication with citizens to request payment by phone, text, or email for a failure to appear.

Report suspicious communication to the Clerk and Comptroller's Jury Office at (941) 861-7800.

Learn how to protect yourself from jury scams.