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Published on: January 14, 2025

Concerns Flagged over E-Bikes in Key West at Latest City Commission Meeting. What to Know.

Officials raised concerns about e-bikes in Key West this week at the first City Commission Meeting of 2025.

The concern was flagged by Donie Lee, the City Commissioner and former police chief, who said the issue could not be solved with “more enforcement,” according to reporting from the Key west Citizen. His suggestion was to ban the electronic modes of transport from multi-use pathways to protect pedestrians and traditional cyclists from potential crashes.

Tom Malone, a resident who disagreed with Lee, spoke out during the public comments section of the meeting to share his experience as an avid walker throughout the community. As a pedestrian, he said, these electronic modes of transport present a significant hazard to pedestrians.

Published on: January 6, 2025

Service Member Stops Hotel Armed Robbery in Progress. In 48 Years of Personal Injury Practice, Leesfield & Partners Knows Many Others Are Not So Lucky.

By Leesfield & Partners

A U.S. airman stopped a Fort Walton Beach hotel robbery by making a simple call Friday, according to police.

The incident happened just before 10 a.m. Friday at a Residence Inn when the airman was walking through the lobby and noticed a “suspicious interaction” between the clerk and a person at the front desk. Luckily for the clerk, he called police as he left the lobby.

Police announced in a Dec. 30 news release that the man at the front desk had “brandished what appeared to be a concealed weapon in his jacket and demanded money.”

Published on: January 6, 2025

One dead, three others injured in Florida Keys boat crash, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A North Carolina woman was killed, three others were injured and one man faces charges following a boat crash in the Florida Keys Friday.

A 21-foot motorboat carrying four people hit an anchored 34-foot sailboat Friday around 8 p.m. in Florida Bay off mile marker 96 in Key Largo, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. All four people aboard the motorboat were ejected following the crash. Three people were rescued from the water with injuries. The body of 24-year-old Sydney Cole was pulled from the water.

At least one of the three injured, Lillian Cole, 58, of Oakland Park, was airlifted to a Miami-Dade County hospital in critical condition. The boat was being operated by Guy Erdman, 61, also of Oakland Park, the night of the crash, according to the Herald. No charges have been filed against him as of Monday.

Published on: December 19, 2024

Tallahassee Woman Dies in Florida Keys While Scuba Diving, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman died Tuesday morning while scuba diving with a commercial scuba vessel in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

The 56-year-old woman, identified at Andreas Shultz of Tallahassee, was diving at Molasses Reef off Key Lago. Just before 10 a.m., she was found unconscious in the water and was rushed to shore.

Shultz died enroute to shore while others on the boat performed CPR, according to local reporting.

Published on: December 18, 2024

Tractor-Trailer Driver Allegedly on social media Before Fatal Crash that killed woman, 8-year-old son.

By Leesfield & Partners

A tractor-trailer driver who faces felony charges in the August 2023 crash in Nebraska that killed a woman and her young son, 8, is now being accused of using Snapchat as he crashed, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Justin Zoerb, 22, was charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of reckless driving following the Clay County, Nebraska, crash on Aug. 9, 2023.

The crash happened around 4 p.m., killing 8-year-old Ryker Schlichtman and Nicole Pavelka, 30. Three other children in the family were hospitalized for their injuries but lived.

Published on: December 18, 2024

Over a Dozen People Hospitalized Following Everglades Airboat Crash, FWC Investigating.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least 16 people were taken to the hospital after two airboats in the Everglades carrying more than 30 people crashed Friday afternoon.

The crash happened around 3:15 p.m. near Ochopee in Collier County, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. One airboat had 20 people on board while the other carried 13 people.

Additional information, including what caused the boats to crash, was not readily available on Monday.

Published on: December 13, 2024

Here’s How the Federal Aviation Administration Will Pay Homage to a Prominent Leesfield & Partners Client. Who is it?

By Leesfield & Partners

The Federal Aviation Administration Recently announced updated arrival and departure procedures at Florida airports named after Jimmy Buffet, a famed singer-songwriter and previous Leesfield & Partners client who passed away in 2023 at 76.

Pilots arriving at Palm beach International Airport will perform JESTR ONE, the arrival procedure named for Buffet who often compared his work to that of a court jester.

In Key West, where Leesfield & Partners has an office on historic Whitehead Street, pilots leaving from Key West International Airport will go through BUFIT ONE.

Published on: November 19, 2024

Police: Human Head on Key Biscayne Belongs to Teen Caught in Rip Current

By Leesfield & Partners

Authorities confirmed over the weekend that the human head that washed ashore on Key Biscayne belonged to a teen who went missing off Miami Beach a week before after being caught in a rip current.

Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr., 19, was swimming with his sister off South Pointe Beach on Nov. 9 around 6 p.m. when the two were caught up in a rip current. They yelled for help and passersby were able to rescue Castaneda’s sister, but he seemed to vanish in the water, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. His older sister, Jessica Castaneda, told reporters that her brother pushed their younger sister toward shore in an effort to save her as the pair struggled against the currents.

On Nov. 12, a human head washed up on the beach in front of Oceansound Key Colony II condominium at 251 Crandon Blvd on Key Biscayne. The remains were found by a beach maintenance worker before 8:40 a.m.

Published on: October 22, 2024

‘Smoke Alarms Save Lives:’ Key West Fire Department Promotes Awareness for Fire Prevention Month.

By Leesfield & Partners

Spotting flames or smoke in your home—a space that should be a sanctuary—can trigger panic and immobilize even the calmest individuals but smoke alarms can alert you to a problem at the first hint of danger.

During this nightmarish situation, it can be hard to think clearly. Thousands of people die each year in the United States due to trying to save their possessions or put out the fire themselves to save their homes instead of evacuating.

For that very reason, it is crucial to know how to improve your reaction times and have the proper safety equipment installed in your home to alert you of any dangers. In honor of Fire Safety Awareness Month, the Key West Fire Department accepted recent donations of smoke alarms from the Opal Key Resort, which will later be distributed for free to community members, according to local media. These detectors will be available at the Central Fire Station No. 1 at 1600 North Roosevelt Blvd.

Published on: October 15, 2024

Nephew of Famous Surfer Injured in Drowning Incident in Hawaii. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The nephew of famed surfer, Bethany Hamilton, was injured over the weekend in a Hawaii drowning incident. Now, the family is taking to social media to ask for help.

The incident took place on Oct. 11. The child was medevacked to a different hospital and “has fight in him,” his aunt wrote on social media.

“We are wrecked,” Hamilton said in the post shared to her Instagram account with over 2.4 million followers. “But I know how proper medical support can make or break someone’s chance of survival and in this case we’re asking for help from anyone who has information [on] what we can do to give my nephew the best chance.”