florida

Published on: March 6, 2025

E-Bike Battery May Have Caused Key West Fire, officials say. How Leesfield & Partners Has Warned About This Danger for a Decade.

A transportation device that Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has been warning communities about may have been responsible for a Key West fire, according to the city’s Fire Marshal.

Key West Fire Marshal Jason Barroso reminded the community in the Keys Weekly, a weekly newspaper, to be wary of lithium-ion batteries. His reminder comes after an initial assessment showed a local fire may have been caused by an e-bike battery.

The fire happened on Patricia Street on Feb. 25 and had fully engulfed a garage, causing significant damage. Thankfully, no injuries were reported but Barroso wanted to remind the community to follow manufacturer’s safety instructions for charging and storing of e-bikes.

Published on: March 6, 2025

Three Hospitalized Following Crash Monday on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys

By Leesfield & Partners

Three people were airlifted to the hospital following a head-on crash on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys Monday afternoon, according to reporting from local media.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. between a GMC Denali pickup truck and a BMW SUV. Photos from the Miami Herald show the mangled aftermath of the collision and first responders scrambling around the BMW, the front of both vehicles appeared to be crushed in photos.

The pickup was heading south and turned into the northbound lane and struck the BMW, officials with the Florida Highway Patrol told reporters. Officials said they did not know why the truck turned into the northbound lane.

Published on: March 6, 2025

Boater accused in 2022 Crash that Killed High Schooler Ordered Not to Contact Victim’s Family

By Leesfield & Partners

A circuit court judge ordered George Pino, the 54-year-old Doral real estate broker facing vessel homicide charges related to the 2022 boat crash that killed an Our Lady of Lourdes Academy student, to no longer contact the teen’s parents during trial.

Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez granted the order Wednesday, barring Pino from contacting the family of 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez via a third-party, social media, electronically or in person for the remainder of the trial. The text message was reportedly sent last week from Pino to the girl’s parents that “appealed to both families’ Catholic faith,” according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

While Tinkler Mendez said in court she did not believe the message was sent with “intentional malfeasance,” prosecutors said it could be interpreted as intimidation or witness tampering.

Published on: February 21, 2025

Parents of Florida Teen Killed in 2022 Boat Crash Urge Lawmakers to Make Changes.

By Leesfield & Partners

More than two years ago, a Miami-Dade County family suffered the unimaginable loss of their daughter in a boat crash, now the parents of Luciana Fernandez are fighting for legislative change.

It was Labor Day 2022 when then 17-year-old Luciana and over a dozen others were on a boat that crashed into a channel marker and were ejected from the vessel into Biscayne Bay. The crash killed Luciana, daughter to Melissa and Andy Fernandez, and severely disabled one other girl, Katerina Puig.

This week, Luciana’s parents published an OP-ED announcing their “mission to prevent others from suffering such a tragic loss.” Their solution? New legislation filed by State Reps. Vicki Lopes (R-Miami) and Vanessa Oliver (R-Punta Gorda) that will increase penalties for reckless boating, boating under the influence and accidents that result in death on the water. In addition to stricter penalties for violators of boating laws, House Bill 289, also known as “Lucy’s Law,” will also expand on boating safety and education requirements.

Published on: February 21, 2025

Cruise Ship Christened in Key West. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Injured Clients in Cruise Cases for 48 Years.

By Leesfield & Partners

American Cruise Lines, the largest river and small cruise ship line in the U.S., announced its newest ship was christened in Key West.

The ceremony, which was held last week in Key West, was held to honor the company’s newest ship, the American Legend. This ship is part of the cruise line’s Project Blue series, a new fleet of 12 identical sister ships that the company claims will more than double the nation’s current capacity for domestic coastal cruises.

Following its christening, the ship will continue sailing the Florida Gulf Coast and Keys cruises before heading to Chesapeake Bay in March. By the summer, the American Legend will operate coastal New England voyages stretching along the east coast including locations like New York and Boston.

Published on: February 13, 2025

FWC Launches Vessel Turn-In Program in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners recently released an advisory to remind Florida Keys boat owners that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is once again accepting applications for its Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) to prevent possible.

The VTIP is entirely voluntary and was established in late 2022 to help boat owners dispose of unwanted or at-risk vessels before they become derelict, preventing possible future legal issues for the derelict boat owner in possible boat crashes and protecting Florida’s marine life. Vessels being considered must be free of all liens or other claims of ownership ad the applicant must be the titled owner of the vessel. The vessels will be removed from state waters and destroyed at no cost to the owner.

The program removes vessels on a first come, first served basis and applicants are accepted until funding runs out, or the program ends

Published on: January 14, 2025

Four People Rescued from Sinking Boat off Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least four people were rescued from a sinking boat off the coast of Marathon, Florida, Sunday.

Th incident happened about 11 miles off the coast around 5 p.m. when a distress signal reached the U.S. Coast Guard. A crew was sent out to find the 27-foot, sinking vessel and its four passengers.

Additional information including what caused the boat to sink or whether anyone was injured were not immediately available Monday.

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: January 6, 2025

Florida father accused of drunk driving in deadly crash that killed 5-year-old faces charges, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

A father who was allegedly driving drunk the day he crashed his car into a tree, killing his daughter, 5, and injuring his son, 3, faces DUI manslaughter charges, police said in a Dec. 31 news release.

The crash happened in Polk County, Florida, on Nov. 7 when a father, who is not being named to protect the identity of his son, was allegedly three times over the legal limit when he was behind the wheel. The man picked up his children from their grandfather’s home, missed a turn and ran a stop sign, according to police. He later crashed into a tree and the car went up in flames. The man’s daughter died in the incident and his 3-year-old son suffered burns to his face.

The man tried getting his son out of the car but fell to the ground. A passerby helped the child. The father was also injured in the crash, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.