"Key West"

Published on: December 18, 2024

Self-Driving Taxis in Miami? A Look Back at Motor Vehicle Crash Litigation at Leesfield & Partners

Thanks to recent advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, self-driving cars are no longer a thing of the past, and driverless robotaxis may soon be available for transit in Miami.

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced it expects to bring these taxis to Miami, making the city the fifth in the U.S. with this service. The company currently boasts 150,000 weekly rides, all without drivers, in cities like San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

The decision, however, has not come without controversy. A federal investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Waymo vehicle collisions with a fixed object in May. In addition to these collisions, incidents in which the cars allegedly went the wrong way down the road and ran through traffic lights are what prompted the investigation.

Published on: December 13, 2024

Florida Classroom Vacated Following Beloved Teacher’s Legionnaires’ Disease Death.

By Leesfield & Partners

Seven elementary school classrooms in Pinellas County, Florida, were vacated this month after a beloved teacher died from Legionnaires’ Disease.

Katherine Pennington, a kindergarten teacher employed by the Pinellas County School District, died on Nov. 24 after testing positive for Legionella bacteria. As of Wednesday morning, it is unclear where Pennington may have been exposed to the bacteria.

This month, as a precaution, the students were moved from the building where Pennington taught to other classrooms on the campus while the school’s air systems and water systems were checked. In a statement to the public, the Pinellas County School District announced that an environmental company was cleaning the building.

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: March 16, 2016

Resort Torts – Spring Break

By Leesfield & Partners

Florida beaches and warm weather resorts throughout the Caribbean are packed with Spring breakers. We just returned from our annual Key West seminar navigating mopeds, bicycles, Hoverboards, skateboards, parasailers, jet skiers and the whole gamut of fun resort stuff. This week in Miami is the Ultra Music Festival, and Florida beaches, from the Panhandle to the Atlantic and Gulf Coast down to the Florida Keys are just mobbed.

Click here to read our latest Petition online

Tragically, we have already received a number of calls from students and the families of spring breakers on vacation reporting hazardous and dangerous conditions on the roads, in the water and at resort properties.