12th Judicial Circuit indefinitely suspends jury trials

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The 12th Judicial Court has decided to indefinitely suspend jury trials due to the rise in recent COVID-19 cases.

According to the Clerk of Courts Office in Manatee County, the suspension affects Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto counties.

Many court systems across the state, and nationwide, were suspended or moved virtually last year during the pandemic.

Just last week, the Sunshine State recorded more than 150,000 new cases of coronavirus over a seven-day period, pushing the state over 3 million total cases since the start of the pandemic.