miami

Published on: September 25, 2025

Broward County Teen Dies in Florida Keys Diving Accident. What to Know.

A 17-year-old teenager died over the weekend while diving using a hookah rig in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The boy, later identified as Cameron Isaiah Ruwe, was diving with several others on Saturday using a hookah rig — a type of diving that uses a surface-based compressor to deliver air through a hose. The group and their vessel were near Grassy Key around 1:30 p.m. when Cameron attempted to swim back to his boat and “went underwater,” according to local media.

The people who were with him attempted to perform CPR before emergency responders arrived. He was taken to Fisherman’s Community Hospital in Marathon where he was pronounced dead.

Published on: September 9, 2025

World Atlas Names Florida’s 11 Most Scenic Drives. Can You Guess Where?

By Leesfield & Partners

World Atlas has released the Sunshine State’s 11 most scenic drives and the Florida Keys’ iconic Overseas Highway was first on the list.

The road, which stretches 113 miles from Key Largo to Key West, boasts breathtaking, panoramic views of the water around it. The bridge spans 43 islands and serves as the only road connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland.

Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with offices in Miami, Orlando and Key West. The firm’s nearly five decades of experience across the state has resulted in numerous record verdicts and settlements obtained on behalf of individuals or grieving families. In that time, the firm has handled numerous motor vehicle accident cases, including several on the Overseas Highway.

Published on: September 4, 2025

Florida Keys Firefighters Race Flames of Boat Fire to Stop Spread to House, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

Firefighters in the City of Marathon raced against the clock Wednesday morning to extinguish a boat fire in a residential driveway before the flames could spread to the home, according to local reports.

Emergency responders were called out to the 200 block of Camino Road in the Middle Keys just before 2 a.m. for reports of a fire. When they arrived, they found a 20-foot Sea Pro vessel that was engulfed in flames in the driveway of the home. Deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office had allegedly attempted to put the fire out using fire extinguishers because it had “begun to char the front of the house,” according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Thankfully, the home was not occupied, and firefighters were able to out the flames. While shutting off power to the home, firefighters discovered damaged wires. It remains unclear whether the damage sparked the fire or was caused by it.

Published on: September 4, 2025

‘It’s a Pain, Heartache, and Void:’ Influencer Speaks Out Publicly for the First Time Since Son’s Tragic Drowning.

By Leesfield & Partners

Emilie Kiser, the well-known social media and lifestyle influencer, has released a public statement, the first since her 3-year-old son, Trigg, drowned in the family’s backyard pool.

“Loss of this magnitude feels impossible to put into words,” Kiser said in a statement to her nearly 2 million Instagram followers. “I’ve spent days, weeks, months trying to find them and also take the time I’ve needed to digest the loss of my baby.”

Trigg died at the hospital after being in critical condition for several days following an incident at the family’s home in Chandler, Arizona, on May 12. Emergency responders were called out to the home around 6 p.m. after the boy was found unresponsive in the pool. He was rushed to Chandler Regional Medical Center before being transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital in critical condition.

Published on: September 2, 2025

One Dead After Ocean Testing of Vessel Goes Awry. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least one person has died in Pinellas County after a sea trial resulted in a crash, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies were called out around 2:35 p.m. to the area of 9600 Bay Pines Boulevard after getting reports of the crash. The boat allegedly crashed into Stebbins Island and ejected its operator, 56-year-old Pal Pataki, of Clearwater, Florida.

Pataki was pronounced dead at the scene.

Published on: August 19, 2025

One Dead in Boynton Beach Jet Ski Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 49-year-old man died following a crash near the West Gateway Boulevard Bridge in Boynton Beach’s E-4 Canal Sunday evening, according to local media.

The man was identified as Jeffrey Civitano, of Sunrise, Florida.

Emergency responders were called out to the area just before 6 p.m. after a report of a jet ski crash. Police told reporters that the jet ski was traveling northbound in the canal at the time of the crash. Civitano was found in the water while the jet ski continued traveling north on its own.

Published on: August 18, 2025

High-Speed Chase in Florida Keys Results in Police Using Spike Strips. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Fort Lauderdale woman faces multiple charges after police say she led them on a high-speed chase Saturday in the Florida Keys.

Lianet Rodriguez, 35, was charged with felony fleeing and eluding police, a misdemeanor moving traffic violation, driving under the influence and resisting an officer.

The chase was sparked by multiple 911 calls that reported a car was driving into oncoming traffic and passing on the shoulder near mile marker 21, according to reporting from local news outlets. Mile Marker 21 is on Cudjoe Key.

Published on: August 15, 2025

Researchers’ Bio-Engineered Molecule May be First-Ever Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A new protein therapy discovered by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine may be the first-ever antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning, officials with the school announced this week.

The announcement followed the publication of their new study in the journal for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This came after researchers had bio-medically engineered a new molecule that could prove fruitful with reversing the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. The new molecule, said study corresponding author Dr. Mark T. Gladwin, has fewer side effects than other molecules that are currently being tested, including only minimal changes to blood pressure.

“This has the potential to become a rapid, intravenous antidote for carbon monoxide that could be given in the emergency department or even in the field by first-responders,” he said.

Published on: August 12, 2025

It never sailed in the Florida Keys sun — but beneath the waves, it’s been waiting for decades. Here’s What Monroe County Officials are Finally Removing from the water.

By Leesfield & Partners

Monroe County’s derelict vessel removal program typically deals with barnacle-laden sailboats, but, on Monday, officials announced they would be removing something far more interesting — a 92-foot yellow submarine.

The announcement was made Monday in what a spokesperson for the county told reporters with The Miami Herald is “one of the most unusual and challenging projects in Monroe County’s derelict vessel removal program.” A marine contractor is needed to remove the vessel in coordination with the county’s Marine Resource Officer.

Currently, the sub floats off Marathon in the Middle Keys and has been in the area since at least the 90s.

Published on: August 12, 2025

Injuries at Key West Bars & Live Music Venues — When Is the Owner Liable?

By Leesfield & Partners

In Key West, the land where Jimmy Buffet songs and margaritas reign supreme, it is important for victims of a slip and fall or other accident to know what recourse they have for recovery.

At Leesfield & Partners, a personal injury law firm with nearly five decades of experience throughout Florida, our attorneys know that accidents can occur at any time — no matter the venue.

Whether a tourist or a local, hitting the iconic stops along Duval Street or events at Mallory Square, a night of fun-filled live music can quickly turn sour through no fault of your own. While no one expects such a thing to occur, the countless recoveries obtained on behalf of injured clients throughout the firm’s history are enough to prove that they do. It can be something as simple as slipping in the unmopped remnants of a spilled drink, being trampled by a throng of cruise ship passengers in an overcrowded bar or being injured due to building code violations.