Beginning on Jan. 1, there will no longer be a limit on the number of alternate jurors that can be seated by the court in civil trials in Florida.
Currently, no matter how complex the trial or how long it may last, trial judges are not permitted to seat more than two alternate jurors in civil trials. This arbitrary limit on the number of alternate jurors has over the years resulted in unnecessary mistrials when jurors on the regular panel have been unable to complete a lengthy trial due to illness, death or other reasons.
