"Leesfield & Partners"

Published on: October 6, 2026

Monroe County Officials Get Very Different Call Involving Boaters. What to Know.

Usually, fights and “road rage” are things heard about on land, but, on Monday, Sept. 28, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called out to an island off the Everglades to stop it from happening on the water.

The incident occurred after a Coast Guard crew called for deputies at around 8:15 p.m. when a violent fight between a man and a woman on a sailboat broke out, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The incident took place off Cape Sable near Monroe County’s mainland.

Police later found out that a 42-year-old woman hired a boat captain, 51, to maneuver her sailboat, which allegedly measured between 30 to 35 feet, through the Keys. At one point during the trip, the two began arguing before it escalated to physical blows, police told reporters. Both the woman and the captain were charged with misdemeanor battery charges and have since posted bail. They each had non-life-threatening injuries that were “consistent with being in such a fight,” the newspaper reported.

Published on: October 6, 2026

With Florida Keys’ Peak Season on the Horizon, Here’s What You Should Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Snowbirds from up north tend to head south for the winter, and Floridians, especially those residing in Monroe County, cannot blame them.

When addressing the Key West High School Class of 2026 to award the second annual Dexter Butler College Scholarship, Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, gushed about the uniqueness of a city that attracted the likes of Jimmy Buffet and Earnest Hemingway.

“Here’s the story: Key West is special,” Mr. Leesfield said. “Driving down today, it had to be my three-hundredth trip … I realized why I keep coming back and why we are so honored and privileged to give this scholarship every year.”

Published on: August 20, 2026

Authorities Investigating Fatal Florida Keys Boat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman died after she was ejected from a boat in the Florida Keys over the weekend, according to reporting from NBC 6 South Florida.

The woman, 52, of Hialeah, Florida, was on a 35-foot SeaVee Sunday, Aug. 16 with at least three others, police told reporters. The vessel was traveling north on the Intracoastal Waterway near Tavernier and, as it made a turn, all passengers were ejected into the water.

At least two other people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, the station reported.

Published on: July 7, 2026

Boat Fire Destroys Vessel in Monroe County. What Happened?

By Leesfield & Partners

A 44-foot yacht was destroyed in a blaze that broke out at a Key Largo marina ahead of the July Fourth weekend, according to officials with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire broke out Thursday at the Anchorage Resort & Yacht Club in Key Largo. Thankfully, MCSO officials reported, no one was on board the boat at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The blaze appeared to have been contained to the singular vessel and no further damage was reported.

No cause of the fire has been publicly released. Photos posted online by the MCSO show firefighters battling the blaze and the singed vessel immediately following the fire.

Published on: July 7, 2026

Two Injured in Florida Keys Boat Crash Over July Fourth Weekend. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least one woman was taken to the hospital, and another person was injured after a boat crashed into a Florida Keys channel over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to local media.

The crash happened Sunday, July 5, around 3:20 p.m., reporters with The Miami Herald said. The vessel that the two were on crashed into the Harris Gap Channel Bridge on Sugarloaf Key. At least one other person was aboard the vessel at the time of the crash and was injured, according to Local 10 News.

The woman, whose name has not been released as of Monday, July 6, was taken to a hospital on the mainland for treatment. A spokesperson for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) told reporters that she had non-life-threatening injuries. It is unclear whether the second person required transport to a local hospital.

Published on: July 7, 2026

Police in Sarasota Pull Over This Jet Ski Rider, Sparking Controversy Online. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police in Sarasota flagged down a young boy who was operating a jet ski by himself in June, resulting in legal trouble for his parents and a hot debate online.

“That’s right, you have to be 14 in the state of Florida,” Ron Dixon, the officer with the Sarasota Police Marine Patrol Unit who was involved, later told a reporter with Fox 13 Tampa Bay News.

The incident occurred on Sunday, June 14, in the waters of Big Pass when the officer, who was out on the water on his own vessel, flagged down the 8-year-old operator. In bodycam footage of the event, the minor can be seen approaching the officer’s boat wearing a life jacket.

Published on: June 29, 2026

Official Boating Accident Data Paints a Sobering Picture of Waterway Dangers

By Leesfield & Partners

“Florida is the boating capital of the world, but sadly, it is also the boating fatality capital of the world.”

These are the words of Partner Justin B. Shapiro of Leesfield & Partners. With decades of practice representing the injured individuals and grieving families of those involved in some of Florida’s most horrific boating and water-related incidents, our attorneys understand the magnitude of this pressing safety issue. From a young diver and father-to-be whose life was prematurely snuffed out by a negligent boater to the loss of a child’s leg while aboard a vessel, our skilled trial attorneys have seen just about every injury that can occur on the water. With this experience comes an increased vigilance toward the dangers, and the urgency to create positive change.

Last July, when Lucy’s Law—legislation named in honor of 17-year-old Luciana ‘Lucy’ Fernandez, who died in the 2022 Boca Chita boat crash—went into effect, our attorneys applauded the move and saw it as a sign for increased vigilance and safety on the water.

Published on: June 10, 2026

Lounge Chair Recalled Over Consumer Safety Risk: What to Know

By Leesfield & Partners

The Florida Keys is canonically associated with margaritas and lounge chairs, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is only warning users about the latter.

At least 1500 Giantex outdoor lounge chairs were recalled due to amputation concerns, according to the USCPSC. Those with the blue model number NP10025NY measuring 76-inches long, by 23-inches wide, by 13-inches high are instructed to contact Giantex for a full refund. Consumers may request a prepaid return package or will be asked by the company to destroy the recalled chair and provide photographic evidence of destruction, according to USCPSC officials.

Consumers may destroy their product by detaching the headrest pillow and cutting the fabric. The recall comes after at least one report of a consumer’s finger being amputated while they adjusted the lounge chair.

Published on: June 10, 2026

Florida Keys Community Bands Together to Support ‘One of Our Own.’ What Happened?

By Leesfield & Partners

Community members throughout the Florida Keys are rallying together to support a house fire relief fund after a tragic fire displaced two law enforcement officers this week, according to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Facebook re-post.

The incident occurred Thursday, May 7 and involved the home of Mike Pettee and Tiffany Rodda. Pettee is an officer for the Key West Police Department and Rodda is a deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

“In a matter of moments, everything they worked so hard to build was gone,” community members wrote in an update to the couple’s GoFundMe, an online fundraising platform.

Published on: May 13, 2026

Two Dead in Separate Florida Keys Diving and Snorkeling Incidents. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 56-year-old man snorkeling near Key West Sunday afternoon died after being found unconscious in the water on Sunday, May 10, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Benjamin Lee Millspaw, of Belmont, North Carolina, was swimming off Cottrell Key around noon when he was pulled from the water. Millspaw was with a commercial snorkeling company, officials said.

He was taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center and was pronounced dead.