"Monroe County"

Published on: June 12, 2025

This Florida Town Ranked Among ‘Most Charming’ in Florida. What to Know.

World Atlas named Key West among the 10 most charming small towns to visit in Florida, here’s why.

The southernmost island in the Florida Keys owes its popularity to crystal-clear waters, historic charm, and quirky locals. With must-see locations like its famed lighthouse and the six-toed cat oasis of the Ernest Hemingway Home, it’s easy to see why thousands of out-of-state visitors choose to vacation in Key West. And that’s not the only place for history buffs. Other historic sites to see include Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and the Truman Little White House.

Whether looking for educational places to visit, trying to work on a tan, or hoping to snorkel among vibrant marine life, Key West has a little something for everyone.

Published on: May 20, 2025

Second Boat Crash Over the Weekend in Florida Keys Shows Need for Boating Safety Reform. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two people were hospitalized after their boat hit a coral reef near the Lower Florida Keys and flipped over Saturday, according to local media.

The incident happened around 3:50 p.m. near Big Torch Key. Both the operator and passenger were ejected from the vessel, which Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials told reporters was allegedly going at a high rate of speed. They were taken to a local hospital and no update on their conditions was available as of Tuesday morning.

The crash is being investigated by the FWC.

Published on: April 24, 2025

Key West Firefighters Complete Important Rescue Training. How Many Car Accidents has Monroe County seen in 2025?

By Leesfield & Partners

Firefighters with the Key West Fire Department took part in recent training to learn how to dismantle cars in an emergency.

The week-long training was a part of a larger Urban Search and Rescue operation, and all the cars used in the exercise were already marked for destruction, according to reporting from the Key West Citizen.

This specialized training is essential in a state that sees approximately 400,000 annual car accidents on average. Monroe County had nearly 2,000 crashes in 2024, according to data collected by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Crash Dashboard. Of these crashes, six people were killed and 1,252 others were injured. In 2023, there were 1,401 crashes with 18 fatalities and 925 injuries.

Published on: April 23, 2025

Case Filed on Behalf of Woman Who Incurred Spinal Injury at Key West Resort.

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners has filed a case on behalf of a woman who attempted to lie down on an improperly installed and inadequately maintained hammock at a Key West resort. The hammock flipped her and sent her head-first to the ground, resulting in a severe spinal cord injury.

Not only was the hammock improperly installed and negligently maintained—a defect that has left the resort’s guests vulnerable to injuries of this sort—but the resort failed to remedy the defect or warn people about the risks associated with the use of the hammock.

As a result of this horrific and preventable incident, our client was severely injured and required invasive surgery. A year later she continues to suffer daily pain due to this incident.

Published on: April 22, 2025

Man Threatens Store Clerk, Customers with Knife in Monroe County. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 35-year-old man faces a slew of charges after allegedly threatening individuals at a Tom Thumb store on Stock Island Wednesday.

The man, of Marathon, Florida, was charged with theft, robbery with a weapon, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which posted an online press release Thursday.

Around 2:05 a.m., the man opened a soda and “partially drank it” and tried to hide it with chips before a store employee and at least three customers tried to stop him, police said. When they approached him, the man allegedly pulled out a knife “swung it around and chased one witness.”

Published on: March 18, 2025

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Florida Keys Man Accused of Sexually Abusing a Minor. How Leesfield & Partners has Protected Children for Decades.

By Leesfield & Partners

The Monroe County State Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty for a Florida Keys man police accused of filming himself raping a child multiple times, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Micheal John Demerjian, 36, of Big Pine Key, in the Lower Keys, was in custody on unrelated charges on Jan. 17 when his phone was found by someone who purchased his car. On the phone, over 70 images and videos of the child, who is under 12 years old, were found. The images were reported to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The Key West Injury Lawyer Blog will not be publishing the age of the child or Demerjian’s connection to the minor to protect their identity.

Published on: March 13, 2025

Boat Captain Found Guilty of Passenger’s Propeller Death in 2020

By Leesfield & Partners

A Marion County diving boat captain was found guilty this week of seaman’s manslaughter in the death of a diver who tragically drowned during a propeller malfunction in March 2020.

A federal jury found Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, of Ocala, Florida, guilty this week on the seaman’s manslaughter charges as well as for lying to the Coast Guard and committing Covid-19 relief fraud, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Seaman’s manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Florida. Mcabe could face up to 10 years in prison for the seaman’s manslaughter charges, up to five years for lying to the coast guard and up to 20 years for the wire fraud.

McCabe is set to be sentenced June 12 before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.

Published on: March 6, 2025

Three Hospitalized Following Crash Monday on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys

By Leesfield & Partners

Three people were airlifted to the hospital following a head-on crash on the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys Monday afternoon, according to reporting from local media.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. between a GMC Denali pickup truck and a BMW SUV. Photos from the Miami Herald show the mangled aftermath of the collision and first responders scrambling around the BMW, the front of both vehicles appeared to be crushed in photos.

The pickup was heading south and turned into the northbound lane and struck the BMW, officials with the Florida Highway Patrol told reporters. Officials said they did not know why the truck turned into the northbound lane.

Published on: January 24, 2025

Key West Firefighters Complete Additional Training as Fires Continue to Rage in California. How Leesfield & Partners is Providing Aid.

By Leesfield & Partners

Amid horrific wildfires that have ravaged homes, wreaking havoc on the lives of thousands of Californians, Key West firefighters have completed additional training to improve their emergency response.

Firefighters in Key West recently completed their Florida Urban Search and Rescue Confined Space Technical Rescue training course, a lesson that teaches how to safely and effectively get people out of complicated fire situations. The course focuses on hazard analysis, risk assessment, training levels of personnel and the availability of external resources.

Providing Aid

Published on: December 13, 2024

Here’s How the Federal Aviation Administration Will Pay Homage to a Prominent Leesfield & Partners Client. Who is it?

By Leesfield & Partners

The Federal Aviation Administration Recently announced updated arrival and departure procedures at Florida airports named after Jimmy Buffet, a famed singer-songwriter and previous Leesfield & Partners client who passed away in 2023 at 76.

Pilots arriving at Palm beach International Airport will perform JESTR ONE, the arrival procedure named for Buffet who often compared his work to that of a court jester.

In Key West, where Leesfield & Partners has an office on historic Whitehead Street, pilots leaving from Key West International Airport will go through BUFIT ONE.