Following a $35 million renovation, La Concha in Key West has recently joined Marriott’s “Autograph Collection,” a signifier of upscale properties within the Marriot International portfolio.
The 160-room hotel, formerly known as Crowne Plaza La Concha, was under construction since at least October of last year and now features a refurbished bar, hotel lobby and restaurant. Included in the renovation were upgrades to the outside of the hotel, rooms, the pool area and meeting spaces.
While the addition of an upscale lodging property is a positive development for Key West’s thriving tourist economy, which welcomes millions of visitors annually, guests should remain cautious.
Leesfield & Partners in Key West
Leesfield & Partners has had a hub located on historic Whitehead Street in Key West since the 1980s, but the firm’s history in the area dates back several decades earlier. In 1973, as a fledgling personal injury attorney, our firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, tried his first case, Taylor v. Strunk Lumber, in Key West. The case involved the wrongful death of a 14-year-old boy and was the first in the state to be tried under the Florida Supreme Court’s comparative negligence law. This law replaced contributory negligence, which negates recovery if the plaintiff is even slightly negligent for their injuries.
Mr. Leesfield secured a $100,000 award for the boy’s family – the equivalent of over $700,000 in today’s money. Three years later, Mr. Leesfield launched Leesfield & Partners and began building up the leading personal injury law firm that is known throughout Florida and nationwide today. Recently, the over 100-year-old building that houses Leesfield & Partners’ Key West operations was honored by The Florida Bar Association with its Historic Building Renovation award.
Fast forward to 2024, the firm’s impact in Key West is irrefutable with millions of dollars in settlements secured for injured tourists and community members alike while also significantly contributing to local nonprofits. Through The Leesfield Family Foundation, numerous local organizations providing essential services have received annual support. The Foundation has also provided funding for various academic and athletic scholarships. This year, The Foundation launched the Dexter Butler Scholarship, a college scholarship in honor of a beloved Key west High School teacher and basketball coach who died in 2023. For the holidays, The Leesfield Family Foundation sponsored local food banks, including the Stars of the Seas Foundation in Key West.
Hotel Litigation
Despite the allure of luxury accommodations, nearly 50 years of personal injury litigation experience at Leesfield & Partners has shown that hotels often fail to fully prioritize guest safety. When incidents occur, these establishments frequently attempt to skirt liability, leaving visitors vulnerable. It’s a reminder that no matter how upscale, anything can happen — and guests should always be aware of the risks.
One case handled by the firm was handled by Justin B. Shapiro, a Leesfield & Partners Trial Lawyer and Partner. In that case, our client fell while on steps of a Key West hotel that violated the 1993 Florida Building Code. The steps lacked a handrail and proper lighting, creating a dangerous environment for guests, including our client. Compounding the situation, the hotel failed to warn guests about the hazardous steps.
As a result of the hotel’s negligence, the client in that case sustained life-altering injuries.
In another case handled by the firm, a second Key West hotel was found to have violated similar building codes. The hotel’s previous owners were aware of the dangers posed by the steps and had added lighting to address the issue. However, when the hotel changed ownership, the new owners removed the lights without remedying the underlying code violations or installing proper signage to warn guests of the hazard.
Combined, these cases were settled back-to-back for a total of over $700,000.
A Monroe County hotel housekeeper was brutally raped while on the job. Leesfield & Partners secured a $1 million settlement in that case.
In a premises liability case handled by the firm, attorneys secured a $1.5 million award for a client who fell while in a Key West hotel’s stairwell. The client in that case suffered severe back injuries.
A case that brought about legislative change and attracted the attention of national news outlets involved a family who were exposed to carbon monoxide gas seeping into their room from a boiler room roof vent on a hotel roof. The family was able to call for help before succumbing to the effects of breathing in the toxic gas, but that made the incident no less harrowing. Despite the damage to the vent and the dangers it presented, the hotel rented out the same room where another family was similarly affected.
Mr. Leesfield secured a seven-figure settlement for the Iowa family in that case and successfully advocated for the passage of Senate Bill 1822, which provides protections related to carbon monoxide in Florida.
Leesfield & Partners secured a $40,580,000 award for a client who was viciously attacked at a Key West resort hotel. The hotel in that case negligently left a parking garage unlocked, allowing a man on a rampage with a hammer to enter, undetected. The man roamed the garage for 20 minutes without being noticed before encountering our client who he brutally attacked. Our client suffered serious and permanent injuries to her face and head.
This is among the largest personal injury verdicts in Monroe County history.
If you or a loved one was injured in a premises liability, negligent security or inadequate security case in Florida, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 305-854-4900 or 800-836-6400 today for a free consultation.