"Ira Leesfield"

Published on: December 13, 2024

No Kids on Social Media in Florida Starting Jan. 1. What to Know.

Soon, kids under 14 years old will be barred from having social media accounts in Florida, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Starting Jan. 1, all platforms with adult content, or “material that is harmful to minors,” on their sites will be compelled to verify whether users are 18 years old or older. The platforms are expected to do this via third-party age verification on new accounts. The bill does not consider sites used exclusively for email or direct messaging limited to sender and recipients as social media.

Children under 14 with accounts will see their profiles shut down and those between 14 and 15 years old will be able to have accounts only if they have permission from a parent or guardian. If an account is suspected of belonging to someone who is under 14 years of age but doesn’t, there will be a 90-day appeal window.

Published on: December 13, 2024

Police name driver accused in Thanksgiving hit-and-run in Miami. How many incidents has Miami seen in 2024?

By Leesfield & Partners

Police have named the driver accused in a Thanksgiving hit-and-run incident near Miami International Airport that killed a pedestrian.

Gerson Jean, 38, was charged Friday with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and attempted tampering with physical evidence.

The incident happened just before 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day near 2100 Northwest 42^nd Avenue, close to Miami International Airport. The pedestrian involved in the crash was seen on airport surveillance footage crossing the street when a gray Kia K5 hit them. Police say the car was being driven by Jean.

Published on: December 10, 2024

Amazon Worker Stabbed Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

An Amazon delivery driver was hospitalized with serious injuries following a stabbing while on duty over the weekend, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Police were called out to the 1100 block of Northwest 10th Terrace just after 7:30 p.m. to a report of a stabbing. The driver’s vehicle was disabled when they were approached by their alleged assailant.

The driver was taken to Broward Medial Center. Additional details whether anything was taken in the incident or the condition of the driver as of Monday morning were not immediately available.

Published on: November 27, 2024

Brothers Face Felony Charges for Attack on Miami Mechanic Monday, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

Two brothers face felony charges after police accused them of attacking a worker and using his own gun against him in Miami mechanic shop brawl Monday afternoon.

Pedro Luis Rodriguez, 40, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and Angel Rodriguez-Candano, 32, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm. Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony in Florida that, if convicted, can carry up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Penalties for aggravated assault with a firearm include up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, if convicted.

The alleged incident stemmed from a dispute that broke out Monday afternoon at Tire Liquidators, a shop located at 2090 Southwest 67th Avenue. Police told local reporters that the two brothers argued with the unnamed mechanic over past repairs made to Rodriguez’s vehicle. The two brothers allegedly followed the mechanic into the shop’s office where, police said, Rodriguez began punching him several times. At one point in the altercation, the mechanic pulled out a gun that Rodriguez-Candano lunged for, according to the report. The brawl between the three men continued until the mechanic fired the weapon three times.

Published on: November 20, 2024

Judge Orders Miami Developer to Surrender to Authorities in Vessel Homicide Case Resulting From 2022 Boca Chita Crash. A Look at Previous Leesfield & Partners Boating Cases

By Leesfield & Partners

The operator of a boat involved in a 2022 boat crash in Boca Chita Key that killed one teen and permanently injured another has been ordered to surrender to police after news broke last month he would be facing vessel homicide charges, according to local news outlets.

The order was signed by a judge Wednesday and calls for 54-year-old George Pino, a Miami real estate developer, to surrender to authorities. In addition to the vessel homicide charge, Pino will allegedly face one count of driving a vessel in a reckless manner.

What Happened?

Published on: October 15, 2024

E-Bike Rider in Critical Condition Following West Palm Beach Crash

By Leesfield & Partners

E-bike crashes have been splashed across newspaper headlines since their advent in 2020, creating an epidemic of injuries and deaths across the country.

Over the weekend in Palm Beach, another person was sadly injured by these dangerous modes of transport.

The incident happened Saturday around 11 p.m. when the E-Bike rider was heading west on Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach. An Audi driver was driving directly behind them in the same lane and the driver alleged in reporting from 12 News not to have seen the rider.

Published on: July 29, 2024

E-biker accused of leaving scene after crash that injured man on Central Florida beach, police say.

By Leesfield & Partners

An E-bike rider was charged with a felony after an alleged hit-and-run crash with a man on a Central Florida beach, local police announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old was charged Monday with felony leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and operating an electric bicycle in a manner likely to cause harm after the Memorial Day crash on Ormond Beach, about an hour outside of Orlando in Volusia County, Florida.

The incident took place around 5 p.m. on May 27 and, according to police, the man injured in the event had been playing soccer near where the E-bike rider was speeding. The area where he was riding is set aside for pedestrians. Following the crash, the man who was playing soccer was rushed to the hospital where it was determined he had three broken ribs. The E-biker had left before the police arrived.

Published on: July 29, 2024

Florida driver faces charges after deadly crash Sunday

By Leesfield & Partners

A Florida driver is facing felony charges after police say he was driving drunk, causing a fiery crash that killed the other driver.

The crash happened around 3 a.m. Sunday between a Dodge Durango and a Chevy Silverado pickup truck in Pasco County. The driver of the Dodge was going the wrong way down State Road 56 when he crashed “nearly head-on” with the pickup truck, according to Florida Highway Patrol. Following the crash, the pickup truck overturned and caught fire. The driver of that vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man driving the Dodge Durango and at least one other passenger in that car were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The man was charged with DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage following his release from the hospital, officials said.

Published on: July 19, 2024

At least one person died following crash between car and bicyclist Thursday in Miami Gardens

By Leesfield & Partners

A bicyclist died Thursday morning after being hit by a car in Miami Gardens, officials say.

Emergency responders were called to the scene at 6:15 a.m. near Miami Gardens Drive and U.S. 441 after a driver in a black Nissan lost control of their car near Northwest 182nd Street. The car went off the road into trees before landing on a side access road, hitting the bicyclist.

The bicyclist died at the scene, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Published on: July 19, 2024

Child’s heat-related death in Arizona car acts as stark reminder for parents to never leave children unattended in parked cars

By Leesfield & Partners

Safety is always at the top of parents’ minds. It seems that around every corner is a new hazard they must be on the lookout for. From choking hazards, gun-related incidents, car accidents and drownings that are more prevalent than ever before, the statistics are enough to send any parent into a spiral.

This week in Arizona, a family is suffering through the reality of one of those unthinkable fears after the father of a 2-year-old girl left her in a car parked in their Arizona driveway. In a summer that saw record-breaking heat, the father told police he left the child in the parked car with the engine running because he did not want to wake her. The father was allegedly distracted by video games and putting away groceries. He was occupied for about three hours before he checked on the little girl, according to reporting from national news outlets.

Police investigating the child’s death say that the father – who has since been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse related to his daughter’s death – regularly left the little girl and her two older brothers in the car and added that he knew the car would shut off when in park for more than 30 minutes. The temperature in Arizona on the day of the child’s death had reached 109 degrees.