Four Days on the Holiday Schedule
In 2026, Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 26) and the Friday after (November 27) are court holidays in Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Volusia counties. With Saturday and Sunday after them, first appearance runs on the weekend schedule from Thursday through Sunday:
- Seminole County: 9:00 a.m. (anyone booked after 2:00 a.m. goes on the next day’s docket).
- Orange County: about 11:30 a.m.
- Osceola County: 11:00 a.m., by video.
- Volusia County: 8:30 a.m.
What That Means for a Wednesday Night Arrest
If the charge has a set bond, it can be posted as soon as booking is done, holiday or not. If it needs a judge, the next first appearance is Thursday morning on the holiday schedule. In Seminole County, someone booked after 2:00 a.m. Thursday goes to Friday’s docket.
DUI Over the Holiday
Florida’s highway safety agency and the Florida Highway Patrol run their “Arrive Alive” campaign through the holiday season, and NHTSA runs a drug-impaired driving campaign the week of Thanksgiving. A DUI arrestee is held until no longer impaired, below 0.05, or 8 hours after the arrest (Fla. Stat. 316.193(9)).
The 10-day window to request a review of the license suspension keeps running over the holiday, so mark the date on the notice of suspension.
If Someone Is Arrested on Thanksgiving Eve
- Get their full legal name, date of birth and the county of arrest.
- Look them up in that county’s official inmate search, or call us at (407) 321-2663.
- Ask us whether the charge has a set bond or needs a judge, so you know whether to expect Thursday or sooner.
- Never send money to anyone who calls claiming to be the jail.
- If it’s a DUI, write down the 10-day deadline.