How to get excused from jury duty in Broward County, Florida
The excusal routes Broward County, Florida actually recognizes — what each one needs, who decides, and where it goes.
Broward’s Clerk staff are not permitted to excuse you for financial hardship — the county says so in terms: “the Clerk of Court staff does not have the authority to excuse a juror from jury duty for any reasons other than those listed below,” and financial hardship is not among them. That is not a refusal; it is a limit on who may decide, which is why it goes to a Judge in the courtroom instead. And before you submit anything: tick the e-notifications box in the portal. The county says that if you do not opt in, “your excusal decision will be sent by mail” — one checkbox between an email and waiting on the post. Requests go through the Juror Portal at least seven days before your report date. If you qualify for none of the county’s excusal grounds, its affidavit has a box for you anyway — a request to postpone “due to a temporary conflict or hardship.” And if you are too unwell to fill the form in, somebody else may do it for you, stating their relationship to you. Financial hardship is not on Broward The Clerk publishes the grounds its staff can act on — age, prior service, expectant mothers, carers of children under six, medical incapacity, law enforcement, military, full-time students — and financial hardship is not among them. Jury Services confirmed on 8 September 2026 where it goes instead: “jurors that may have any hardships, issues or concerns may address their situation in the courtroom during jury selection process and they may be excused by the Judge.” So nothing you send in beforehand decides this. What you can do without asking anyone is defer — no reason required, any date within six months of your original report date. And if the reason is medical, Broward has its own form — your physician or APRN completes and signs it, it costs nothing, and it must reach the Clerk seven days before your report date. And note the sharp edge: Broward has enforced failure-to-appear fines of up to $100 since June 2026, so do not simply not turn up.
Your routes in Broward County, Florida
Age 70 or olderIncluded — 70+, and you choose permanent or just this time
One of the grounds the Clerk’s staff can act on directly. You choose whether to be excused permanently or only for this summons.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. The county lists among its exemptions: “You are 70 years or older and wish to be excused permanently, or for this time only.”
Sixteen counties have now been asked about age, and only two offer the choice. Elsewhere it is a single switch — excused for a year, or removed for good, with no say in it.
The reason to think about it rather than tick the larger box: a permanent excusal takes you out of the pool for good. Some people would rather serve at a better time than never be asked again.
See the full detail →Sixteen counties have now been asked about age, and only two offer the choice. Elsewhere it is a single switch — excused for a year, or removed for good, with no say in it.
The reason to think about it rather than tick the larger box: a permanent excusal takes you out of the pool for good. Some people would rather serve at a better time than never be asked again.
DeferralFree — no reason, six months, pick your own date
Broward lets you move your service without explaining why, to any date within six months of your original report date, chosen yourself in the portal.
Published excusals page and Jury Services, Broward County Clerk of Courts — confirmed by email, 8 September 2026. In the office’s own words: “a juror does not need to specify why they are requesting a deferral. A juror has 6 months from their original report date to serve and may select their date through our juror portal.” Since financial hardship is not one of Broward’s excusal grounds, this is the only thing you can settle in advance — and you settle it yourself, without asking permission or giving a reason. If a different month genuinely solves the problem, it is the entire answer and it is free.
See the full detail →Served on a Broward jury in the past yearIncluded — jury service in the last 12 months
Having served on a jury in Broward County in the past 12 months is a listed exemption.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. The county lists as an exemption: “Served on a jury in Broward County in the past 12 months.”
Twelve months, and in this county. Some counties in this project count service anywhere, including federal court, and some use a twenty-four month window. Broward publishes neither of those.
See the full detail →Twelve months, and in this county. Some counties in this project count service anywhere, including federal court, and some use a twenty-four month window. Broward publishes neither of those.
Pregnancy or recent birthIncluded — expectant, or within 6 months of giving birth
Two separate listed exemptions: an expectant mother, and a woman who has given birth within six months before the reporting date.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. Two of the county’s listed exemptions: “Expectant mother” and “A woman who has given birth within 6 months before the reporting date.”
Neither is a medical excusal, and neither is listed as needing a doctor. They sit on the Clerk’s own list of grounds it may act on, which means they do not go to a judge.
See the full detail →Neither is a medical excusal, and neither is listed as needing a doctor. They sit on the Clerk’s own list of grounds it may act on, which means they do not go to a judge.
Caring for a child under 6, or for an incapacitated personIncluded — two separate caring grounds
A parent not employed full-time with custody of a child under 6; or anyone responsible for the care of a person who is medically or mentally incapacitated and incapable of caring for themselves.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. Two of the county’s listed exemptions: “Parent not employed full-time, with custody of child under 6 years old” and “Responsible for the care of a person who is medically or mentally incapacitated and is incapable of caring for himself/herself.”
They are built differently and it matters. The child ground has two conditions and both must hold — a parent working full-time does not come within it however young the child. The incapacitated-person ground attaches no employment test whatever.
Both are on the Clerk’s own list, so neither needs a judge.
See the full detail →They are built differently and it matters. The child ground has two conditions and both must hold — a parent working full-time does not come within it however young the child. The incapacitated-person ground attaches no employment test whatever.
Both are on the Clerk’s own list, so neither needs a judge.
Active military serviceIncluded — actively serving
Actively serving in the military or armed forces is a listed exemption.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. The county lists as an exemption: “If you are actively serving in the military or armed forces.”
One clause and no qualifiers. Where other counties in this project attach a station requirement or a federal mission-essential test, Broward publishes the ground on its own.
See the full detail →One clause and no qualifiers. Where other counties in this project attach a station requirement or a federal mission-essential test, Broward publishes the ground on its own.
Full-time student aged 18 to 21Included — but only between 18 and 21
A full-time student between 18 and 21 years of age is a listed exemption. Note the upper bound.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. The county lists as an exemption: “Full-time student between 18 and 21 years of age.”
The upper bound is the part to notice. Most student exemptions in this project turn on enrolment alone, or on distance from the courthouse. Broward’s stops at 21, so a postgraduate or a returning student falls outside it however full-time their course.
See the full detail →The upper bound is the part to notice. Most student exemptions in this project turn on enrolment alone, or on distance from the courthouse. Broward’s stops at 21, so a postgraduate or a returning student falls outside it however full-time their course.
Full-time sworn law enforcementIncluded — sworn officers and investigative personnel
A full-time sworn law enforcement officer, or full-time investigative personnel, is a listed exemption.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. The county lists as an exemption: “Full-time SWORN law enforcement officer or investigative personnel.” The capitals are the county’s.
Note the two limbs: sworn, and full-time. And note that it reaches investigative personnel, not only uniformed officers.
See the full detail →Note the two limbs: sworn, and full-time. And note that it reaches investigative personnel, not only uniformed officers.
Not eligible to serveIncluded — five grounds under F.S. 40.013
Five statutory disqualifications. The portal carries all five; the printable affidavit is a version behind and has boxes for only four — the office confirmed the portal is the current one.
Broward County Clerk of Courts — published Juror Excusals and Postponements page. The county sets these out under F.S. 40.013 as grounds on which you are not eligible to serve: “Not a citizen of the United States; Convicted felon – civil rights not restored; No longer reside in Broward County; Presently under prosecution for a crime; Presently on probation or parole.”
Residency is the commonest of these, because people move, and it is the county that matters rather than the state.
The last two are worth reading twice. They describe a situation you are presently in, not something on your record — and this project has found them published in no other county’s list.
If you cannot use the Juror Portal, the county names a second form for this: the Juror Disqualification & Excusal Affidavit.
See the full detail →Residency is the commonest of these, because people move, and it is the county that matters rather than the state.
The last two are worth reading twice. They describe a situation you are presently in, not something on your record — and this project has found them published in no other county’s list.
If you cannot use the Juror Portal, the county names a second form for this: the Juror Disqualification & Excusal Affidavit.
Postponement, on the excusal formIncluded — a box on the affidavit, for people who qualify for nothing else
The county’s own affidavit carries a box for jurors who do not qualify for any excusal and want to move the date instead — for a temporary conflict or hardship.
Juror Disqualification & Excusal Affidavit — Broward County Clerk of Courts, revised 2 June 2026. Beneath the excusal grounds, under the heading REQUEST FOR POSTPONEMENT (IF NOT EXCUSED), the affidavit carries a single box: “I do not qualify for an excusal above and request to postpone my jury service to a future date due to a temporary conflict or hardship.”
This is the most useful thing on the form for most people who reach this page. Broward’s staff are not permitted to excuse anyone for financial hardship — but a postponement is not an excusal, and this box is a free, written way to ask for one, on a form the county already gives you.
Note what it does not ask for. No documentation, no figures, and no account of the hardship — only that you have one and that it is temporary. There is nothing here for us to sell you, and there should not be: it is a tick-box.
See the full detail →This is the most useful thing on the form for most people who reach this page. Broward’s staff are not permitted to excuse anyone for financial hardship — but a postponement is not an excusal, and this box is a free, written way to ask for one, on a form the county already gives you.
Note what it does not ask for. No documentation, no figures, and no account of the hardship — only that you have one and that it is temporary. There is nothing here for us to sell you, and there should not be: it is a tick-box.
Financial hardshipThe courtroom — there is no advance route
Not one of the grounds Clerk staff can act on. Broward hears hardship in the courtroom during jury selection, where the Judge may excuse you.
Fla. Stat. § 40.013 — as Broward applies it. Florida’s standard is hardship, extreme inconvenience or public necessity, but Broward does not let its Clerk staff apply it. The Clerk’s published excusal grounds are a closed list — age, prior service, expectant mothers, carers of children under six, medical incapacity, law enforcement, military, full-time students — and financial hardship is not on it. Jury Services confirmed where it goes instead: “jurors that may have any hardships, issues or concerns may address their situation in the courtroom during jury selection process and they may be excused by the Judge.” That is the only route, and it happens on the day.
$14.97 · prepared for you, reviewed before you send it.
Prepare your Talking Points for Judge →Medical conditionFree — the county’s own form, signed by your provider
Broward has its own medical excusal form — the office says you may use it “if you would like”. If you do, a physician or an autonomous APRN completes and signs it. There is nothing for you to write, and nothing for us to sell.
Broward Juror Medical Excusal Form — 17th Judicial Circuit, revised 2 June 2026. Jury Services put it plainly on 9 September 2026: a medical excusal “would come from the juror’s physician”, and the county has its own form for it. There is nothing further to pay for this, because the form is the whole mechanism and has no space in it for your own words.
What is worth knowing is the choice your provider makes on your behalf. The form says “please select only one”, and offers three:
• Continuance up to 6 months — the provider names a date you should be able to serve by.
• One-time excusal — for where “it is currently unclear whether or when” you will be able to serve; reassessed at your next summons. The form calls it one-time and then calls it “a one-year exemption” in the same breath.
• Permanent excusal or disqualification — and the bar is higher than being unable to serve: the form asks the provider to state that you are “permanently incapable of caring for himself/herself.”
A busy practice ticks the first box. If a fixed date is not what your situation looks like, that is worth raising before the form is signed rather than after.
See the full detail →What is worth knowing is the choice your provider makes on your behalf. The form says “please select only one”, and offers three:
• Continuance up to 6 months — the provider names a date you should be able to serve by.
• One-time excusal — for where “it is currently unclear whether or when” you will be able to serve; reassessed at your next summons. The form calls it one-time and then calls it “a one-year exemption” in the same breath.
• Permanent excusal or disqualification — and the bar is higher than being unable to serve: the form asks the provider to state that you are “permanently incapable of caring for himself/herself.”
A busy practice ticks the first box. If a fixed date is not what your situation looks like, that is worth raising before the form is signed rather than after.
Contact the court
Jury Services, Broward County Clerk of Courts, Judicial Complex East Building, 201 S.E. 6th Street Room 03320, Fort Lauderdale FL 33301Jury line: (954) 831-6091
9 a.m.–4 p.m. Email [email protected], fax (954) 831-7054. The juror portal is at jury.browardclerk.org — supporting documentation for the listed excusal grounds goes there.
9 a.m.–4 p.m. Email [email protected], fax (954) 831-7054. The juror portal is at jury.browardclerk.org — supporting documentation for the listed excusal grounds goes there.
Other counties
JuryFree prepares documents and guidance from the facts you provide. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice or guarantee any outcome. Court rules and deadlines vary by county and change over time — confirm with the court before you rely on anything here. Questions: [email protected].