miami

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

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

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.

Published on: July 10, 2025

Infant Drowns in Recent Florida Pool Incident, Highlighting this Pressing Issue. How to Keep Kids Safe this Summer.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Martin County family is grieving the loss of their 1-year-old daughter after she died in a tragic pool drowning incident in Jensen Beach.

The infant was under the care of a grandparent who lost track of the her and called 911. While on the phone, dispatchers asked the grandparent — who was going from room-to-room in the home searching — to check the pool, according to reporting from the Treasure Coast News.

Emergency responders were called out to the home around 3:30 p.m. where they found the grandparent administering CPR to the infant. The 1-year-old was taken to Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital in Stuart, Florida, where she later died.

Published on: July 7, 2025

Tour Operator’s False Driver Faces Arrest in Key West. What Happened?

By Leesfield & Partners

A man faces charges after police say he went on a drug-fueled bender and stole a Conch Tour Train on the Fourth of July.

Jonathan Patrick Winslow, 57, of Big Torch Key, faces a felony burglary charge and a further charge for theft of a vehicle. He was also charged with drug possession, a misdemeanor.

Police were called out to the Conch Tour Train Depot around 11:30 a.m. Friday after it was reported that a train from Conch Tours, a company that operates “train” tours through Key West’s Old Town, was stolen. GPS tracking was used to find the train around downtown.

Published on: July 7, 2025

Pam Rock Act Set to go into Effect July 1 in Florida. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Nearly three years after mail carrier Pamela Jane Rock was killed by a pack of dogs in Florida, a law has been created to increase safety and penalties for aggressive animal owners.

Per HB 593, which goes into effect July 1 in the state, owners of dogs considered to be “dangerous” must microchip their animals, secure them and have at least $100,000 in liability insurance. This bill defines a dangerous dog as those subject to an investigation which have killed or bitten a person to a “certain severity.” This severity is defined as a score of five or higher on the Dunbar bite scale, a system designed to classify dog bite severities.

The scale ranges as follows: