by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Beginning Jan. 5, people summoned for jury duty should have a more comfortable experience during the juror qualification process as a change in venue will lead to better accommodations.
Currently, potential jurors are summoned to the County Courthouse, but with the facility’s limited space and an increase in the number of people being called, the need for a new jury venue was needed, said Mike Riley, assistant to the Clerk of Courts.
“The need is there (for a change) because the present conditions cannot fill the needs of the court,” said Riley. “I’ve been here 16 years and we used to call 200 people in the facility (for jury duty) but now it can be anywhere up to 500–600 people.”
Riley said the increase in needed potential jurors over time has meant people have been split up between the ceremonial courtroom on the first floor and rooms on the fifth floor, where instructions and information are then simulcast.
Many times, though, those spaces are still not enough and people are left without a seat and would have to make due while also being shifted from floor to floor — something that Riley calls “ridiculous” for people performing a civic duty and one they are legally obligated to.
The new venue won’t be very far from the old one, though: it’s inside the Courthouse Annex building on East Bay Street, literally across the street from the Courthouse.
The Annex venue, which formerly housed permitting and zoning offices, will have 400 seats and offer much more space, said Riley.
Rose Devoe, assistant to the Clerk of Courts director, said that while court officials have been doing the best they can with the current facility and situation, the new venue should be more accommodating to jurors.
“The new facility is an effort to present a greater level of comfort to jurors and create a more appealing environment for them,” said Devoe.
Devoe added that upon completion, jurors will only have to shift once — from the new facility to the Courthouse — instead of multiple times to different floors.
For Riley, the new addition is just another step in ensuring that Jacksonville and the Duval County courts continue to set the bar for both jurors and international visitors who use the system as a model.
“We certainly hope that what we’re doing is adding to the model of success that Jacksonville has set,” he said. “What we’re doing is trying to expand on that success.”
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