Five trial court circuits have been chosen to test remote technology for in-person civil jury trials across Florida as a safer alternative to comply with the coronavirus social distancing safety measures.

These locations for the pilot projects of civil jury trials are at the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Jacksonville, the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Daytona Beach, the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County and the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in Fort Myers, according to Craig Waters, the public information officer for the Florida Supreme Court.

The selected sites were chosen by the COVID-19 Workgroup, which is chaired by Orlando-area  Judge Lisa Taylor Munyon.

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Canady created the group in April to advise him on court operations in response to the coronavirus public health emergency. Just one month before, Canady had suspended all jury trials in the state to protect the health of the public, court staff and officials.

Waters stated that the members of the workgroup selected the five circuits based on their different approaches, which range from fully remote operations, to combinations of remote and in-person activities. Criteria cited for the selection are geographic diversity, the local severity of the coronavirus infections and the technological capacity within each of the trial courts.

So far, the move to virtual hearings has been a major historical shift in the 175 years since Florida became a state, and the Workgroup will provide Canady suggestions for long-term application. For the trial courts, the technological experiment will be measured by the response of prospective jurors, according to Waters.

"The first round of pilot programs is being confined to civil cases involving disputes among individuals rather than criminal cases," Waters said. "Criminal trials typically involve more complex issues of constitutional rights than civil trials do."

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