Florida Senate - 2020                             CS for SB 1590
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senator Powell
       
       
       
       
       
       590-03114-20                                          20201590c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to juror sanctions; amending s. 40.23,
    3         F.S.; revising available sanctions for any person who
    4         fails to attend court as a juror without any
    5         sufficient excuse; restricting a court from imposing a
    6         term of imprisonment on any person who fails to attend
    7         as a juror without any sufficient excuse and is found
    8         in contempt of court unless the person is able to
    9         obtain legal representation; providing an effective
   10         date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 40.23, Florida
   15  Statutes, is amended to read:
   16         40.23 Summoning jurors.—
   17         (3)(a) Any person who is duly summoned to attend as a juror
   18  in any court and who fails to attend without any sufficient
   19  excuse is subject to the following sanctions, or any combination
   20  thereof:
   21         1. shall pay A fine not to exceed $1,000 $100, which fine
   22  shall be imposed by the court to which the juror was summoned.
   23         2. A term of imprisonment not to exceed 3 days.
   24         3. An order to perform community service., and,
   25         (b) In addition to the sanctions specified in paragraph
   26  (a), the such failure to attend as a juror without any
   27  sufficient excuse may be considered a contempt of court.
   28  However, the court may not order any term of imprisonment for a
   29  person who is found in contempt of court under this paragraph
   30  unless the person is able to obtain legal representation.
   31         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.