Carlos A. Fabano

Published on: August 5, 2025

Two men Died, Child Injured in Florida Keys During Lobster Mini-Season. What to Know.

At least two men have died and a child was injured in three separate incidents in the Florida Keys during the area’s lobster mini-season.

On Wednesday, July 30, Clarence Shawyer, 82, of Palm City, was found unresponsive in Gulf waters, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in an online statement. He was taken to Fisherman’s Hospital in Marathon and later died.

In Islamorada at around 8:30 a.m. the next day, 61-year-old Raymond Bruce Sasser, of Loxahatchee, lost consciousness while snorkeling. Emergency responders took him to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier, where he later died.

Published on: August 5, 2025

Tesla Trial Ends in 2019 Florida Keys Fatal Crash, $242.6 Million to Families. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

After a three-week-long trial, a Miami jury awarded $242.6 million to the families affected by a deadly 2019 crash in the Florida Keys.

The jury deliberated for about seven hours, according to reporting from The Miami Herald, and decided Tesla’s Autopilot system was partially responsible. As a result, the world-renowned company will be forced to pay $200 million in punitive damages and $42.6 million in compensatory damages to the surviving family members of Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, and her boyfriend, 33-year-old Dillon Angulo.

In the years since the technology was first launched, statements have been made about Tesla S’s ability to stop itself or avoid road obstacles in its path with little to no driver assistance. Angulo and the Benavides Leon family’s attorneys argued that the company was making false claims about its Autopilot system.

Published on: July 30, 2025

Ever Wanted to Take a Flight Straight to the Keys? Now, You Can.

By Leesfield & Partners

Anyone looking to avoid long, traffic-filled drives between Fort Lauderdale and Key West now can thanks to a new direct flight set to take flight starting on Nov. 6.

Spirit Airlines will launch weekly flights on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Key West International Airport. Daily flights will begin on Dec. 18.

Tickets are already available for sale online at the airline’s website.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Man Recovering In Miami After Bahamas Boat Crash Speaks out. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Boat Collision Victims for 49 Years.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Texas man who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run boating collision while snorkeling with his family in the Bahamas speaks out from his Miami hospital bed, according to local media.

Brent Slough, 42, of Prosper Texas was in the water snorkeling on June 30 when he was sliced by a boat that his wife claims “never stopped.”

In a recent interview with WSVN Miami, Slough told reporters he feels lucky to be alive.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Woman Sentenced in Child Sex Abuse Material Case in Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Note: The names of the individuals involved in this crime have been excluded from this article to protect the victims.

A Florida Keys woman was sentenced to 13 years in prison this week after pleading guilty to various sex crimes involving children.

The woman, 37, pleaded guilty this week to sexual battery, incest and child neglect. She was arrested in January of 2024. Following her release, she will have to serve eight years of probation and will be subject to court-ordered supervision. She will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Millions of Aboveground Pools Recalled in Florida Following Toddler Deaths. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

About 5 million aboveground pools have been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission following the deaths of at least nine toddlers since 2002.

The CPSC officially recalled the pools due to a compression strap surrounding the exterior of the pool legs that could create a “foothold, allowing a child access to the pool, posing a drowning risk.”

From 2007 through 2022, the children — aged 22 months to 3 years old — have drowned in states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas, Missouri, California and Florida, where childhood drowning rates have soared in recent years. In data from the Florida Department of Health, it was reported that enough children drown in the state to fill several preschool classrooms.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Man Dies After Snorkeling in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

An 81-year-old died Monday while with a commercial diving crew in the Florida Keys, according to local media.

Stephen Edward Plopper, of Carmel, Indiana, was swimming with a commercial dive boating around Sand Key Lighthouse off of Key West when members of the crew with the boat noticed him unresponsive in the water.

They immediately began CPR, according to reporting with The Miami Herald. Members of the Coast Guard who responded to the scene also performed life-saving measures and transported Plopper to the Lower Keys Medical Center where he died.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Florida Keys Charter Captain Faces Criminal Charges After Duo Accuses him of Attempting to Capsize them. What Happened?

By Leesfield & Partners

A fishing charter captain and his mate on the boat were accused of attempting to capsize a father and son on a kayak and now face criminal charges, according to local media.

James Christian Gagliardini, 52, of Marathon, Florida, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, reckless operation of a vessel and intentional harassing of a fisherman.

Gagliardini’s mate and crew member on the boat, 34-year-old Eric Robert Wink, of Marathon, Florida, faces a misdemeanor battery charge.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Lawsuit Against Tesla Set to Start Monday Over Fatal Model S Crash in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A trial is set to begin Monday, July 14, six years after 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon was killed and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, 27, was injured in a horrific crash involving a Tesla Model S on autopilot.

The crash happened on April 25, 2019, when the couple was on a date and had pulled onto the shoulder of Card Sound Road in the Upper Keys. The driver, George McGee, was driving his 2019 Tesla Model S about 62 mph through an intersection and crashed into Leon and Angulo’s vehicle, according to reporting from Reuters. The two were standing beside the vehicle.

Before the crash, McGee allegedly reached down to pick up a cellphone and ran both a stop sign and a stop light before hitting the car, reporters said in the article.

Published on: July 28, 2025

City of Miami Honors 2022 Boat Crash Survivor’s ‘Unbreakable Will to Move Forward.’

By Leesfield & Partners

Katerina “Katy” Puig, who survived the 2022 Boca Chita boat crash that killed her classmate, was honored by the City of Miami, which proclaimed Thursday, July 10, as “Katy Puig Day,” according to The Miami Herald.

Puig was celebrated for her bravery Thursday by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez who presented her with a plaque while she attended the ceremony with her parents, Kathya and Rudy Puig.

Since the September 2022 crash that resulted in the tragic death of Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, 20-year-old Puig remains in physical therapy to regain motor skills. She currently requires the use of a wheelchair after suffering brain injuries from the crash.