"Monroe County"

Published on: June 3, 2026

Leesfield & Partners Returns to Key West to Award Scholarship, Continue Popular Courtroom Series for Florida Bar Members

During a busy 48 hours, Leesfield & Partners’ Ira H. Leesfield and Justin B. Shapiro were warmly welcomed by Key West High School to honor the life and legacy of the late Dexter Butler at the school’s Class Night.

Joined by Anita Butler and her family, Mr. Leesfield presented the second annual college scholarship award to senior James Osborne. The Dexter Butler College Scholarship was created by The Leesfield Family Foundation and Leesfield & Partners to preserve the legacy of community, kindness, and mentorship exemplified by Mr. Butler throughout his life. In his application, James wrote movingly about the loss of a mentor and how that experience inspired him to embody the values Mr. Butler instilled in him by serving and uplifting others in his community.

“He saw something in me long before I ever saw it in myself,” James wrote. “He pushed me, protected me, challenged me, and—most importantly—he believed in me with a sincerity that changed my life.”

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.

Published on: April 3, 2026

Boat in Deadly Biscayne Bay Hit-And-Run Crash Found, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

Boater in Deadly Biscayne Bay Hit-And-Run Crash Found, police say

Police say they have found the boat they believe was involved in a hit-and-run boat crash on Biscayne Bay that killed a father and injured his son last week in Miami, according to local media.

Police did not name the owner of the boat or say who was operating the vessel the night of the deadly crash.

Published on: March 24, 2026

Man Who Died in Florida Keys Scuba Diving Incident Identified. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

An Indian tourist has been identified as the man who died Wednesday, March 16, while scuba diving, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Abhinav Lamba, 43, was found in distress by a commercial dive crew on Molasses Reef at around 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 16. The crew brought him onto their boat and performed CPR while taking him to shore. Emergency responders took him to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier where he later died.

An autopsy will be performed to determine a cause and manner of death, however, officials told reporters that they do not suspect foul play.

Published on: March 16, 2026

Key West Adopts Safety Action Plan to Eliminate Traffic Deaths. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Following the deaths of at least 29 people on Key West and Stock Island streets from 2018 to 2024, the Key West City Commission adopted a comprehensive Safety Action Plan, according to reporting from Keys News.

The plan — which was voted on last week and has been developed by city staff in collaboration with the University of Florida over the last year — aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2035. In it, officials plan to crackdown on illegal e-motos on city streets congested with tourists, cyclists and other pedestrians. While sometimes marketed as e-bikes — micromobility devices with their own host of issues that have gained traction over the last decade — e-motos have no pedals, use throttle-only motors, and can reach speeds from 40 to 70 mph.

Data presented paints a sobering reality — while bicyclists and pedestrians only account for about 8% of total crashes in the city they also account for 26% of all fatalities and serious injuries related to crashes. From 2018 to 2024, officials at the University of Florida found that there were just shy of 300 crashes resulting in a fatality or serious injury in Key west. Officials were also able to identify areas and intersections that were a part of this “high injury network.”

Published on: March 13, 2026

‘One Moment of Inattention’ Has Severe Consequences: Leesfield & Partners Files Lawsuit on Behalf of a Severely Injured Monroe County Bicyclist

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners filed a lawsuit this week on behalf of a man who was ejected from his bike following a crash on Stock Island with a commercial truck driver.

“This driver’s one moment of inattention has left my client with life-altering injuries,” said Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney at the firm. “This frightening incident has left him in severe pain, causing a disruption to his daily life and happiness.”

The incident occurred just after 2 p.m. on Jan. 13 as our client was approaching the intersection of College Road, where he had the right-of-way to proceed. At the same time, another man behind the wheel of a commercial truck was approaching from the opposite direction and failed to yield, plowing through the intersection and making an illegal left turn. In doing so, this driver hit our client, who was then ejected from his bicycle and sent into the air before eventually falling onto the hood of another vehicle. He was then thrown onto the road.

Published on: February 26, 2026

Four Injured in Monroe County Boat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least four people were taken to the hospital after a boat hit a channel marker in the Florida Keys Friday afternoon, according to local media.

Emergency responders were called out to the crash around 4:45 p.m. of Tavernier where a boat had hit a channel marker and ejected at least six people. Other boaters in the area helped pull two people from the water, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

At least two of the four people who were injured were taken via helicopter to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami-Dade County and two others were taken to mariners Hospital in Tavernier.

Published on: February 20, 2026

‘One of Our Own:’ Community Bands Together Following Tragic Monroe County Blaze.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Florida Keys family that narrowly escaped a Jan. 19 fire and lost their home in the blaze is being bolstered by their community.

“We’re just glad we were there and we and all the other neighbors did what anyone would,” one neighbor, also a principal at a local school, told reporters with Keys Weekly.

The neighbor was with two others when they noticed the smoke at around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19. Since it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many schools and offices were closed for the holiday.

Published on: February 18, 2026

Leesfield & Partners: 50 years of Representing Families, Locals and Tourists in Monroe County

By Leesfield & Partners

The story of Leesfield & Partners, a Florida personal injury law firm, is nearly inseparable from Monroe County and the Florida Keys.

“I was sort of thrust into the law by an eviction notice on my mom’s apartment when I was about 12 years old,” said Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, in a recent interview with Miami Today. “We couldn’t afford the rent, and she was a single mom with three children … My mom was standing there in tears, and I said to myself, ‘this is not the place I want to be for the rest of my life.’ I wanted better circumstances and to help others get to a better place as well.”

The law, he went on to tell reporters, was a good place to start. Following law school, Mr. Leesfield found himself trying his first-ever case in Key West in 1973. This was also the first trial in Florida under the state’s newly adopted comparative negligence law. That landmark case not only shaped the direction of Florida jurisprudence but also began the firm’s enduring commitment to the Keys community.

Published on: October 22, 2025

‘Look for these kids who dart out of nowhere:’ Monroe County Sheriff Offers Advice for the Area Ahead of Halloween.

By Leesfield & Partners

Monroe County, a cluster of islands off Florida’s southern coast, is accustomed to an influx of tourists during events like Halloween, but, this year, the sheriff is emphasizing one priority above all — public safety.

In an advisory posted Monday, Oct. 20, to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office official Facebook page, Sheriff Rick Ramsey noted that the increased crowds in the keys in the week leading up to Halloween might cause traffic and other issues.

“So, look for officers giving you directions, but, more so, look for these kids who dart out of nowhere … ” he said. “Put your phones down, no distracted driving.”