LAKELAND, Fla. - Polk County courts are ready to resume jury trials after the long COVID-19 hiatus, and officials will be seeking potential jurors to report for duty by the end of the month.
The 10th Judicial Circuit has transitioned into Phase 2 of the reopening process, which permits the resumption of in-person trials. The county says jury summons are being mailed this week and should begin appearing in residents’ mailboxes as soon as Friday.
“Jury participation is crucial for restoring court services and ensuring access to justice,” said Stacy Butterfield, Polk County clerk of the circuit court and comptroller. “The entire court system is taking safe steps to protect jurors’ health and serve them safely. Working together, we can safely ensure access to justice for everyone.”
Butterfield says COVID-19 safety protocols include social distancing, continuous sanitization of public spaces, hand sanitizer stations, and the wearing of facemasks, along with temperature checks and a verbal screening for entry into the building.
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Medically high-risk individuals can request excusal or postponement form jury duty, as can those who have to care for a relative or those who have recently returned to work. But there is no blanket exemption for those who are uncomfortable with the idea.
There is no countywide mask-mandate in Polk, unlike some neighboring Bay Area counties. The county’s positivity rate for new tests Tuesday was 9.71% and has been consistently higher than the statewide average.