In a slip and fall case, it’s crucial to determine whether the property was properly maintained. Miami is affected by heavy rains, humidity, tourism, and a steady flow of foot traffic in office buildings, schools, shopping centers, and resorts. If you’ve experienced a fall and have been injured due to the negligence of another person or organization, contact a Miami slip and fall lawyer familiar with Florida laws.
Legal representation from the Law Office of Alexander Alvarez can make the difference in successfully recovering medical expenses, lost earnings, and even continued care. Our team boasts decades of combined legal experience, and we’re prepared to work for the compensation you need.
Business owners must stay on top of maintenance to minimize risks for visitors, and they can be held accountable when you secure legal representation. For offices and residential buildings, it’s important to clean and maintain gutters and downspouts so water drains properly. Stairwells, steps, and handrails should be regularly inspected for issues or damage. Parking garages require frequent checks of the lighting, stairs, and stairwells.
Mats around doors and entrances should lie flat and not slide when people walk on them. The floor should be kept dry underneath, and it’s important to check for water leaks in and around windows. Surprise pools of water present hazards to employees and customers.
In Miami, resorts and hotels are slip-and-fall hotspots, as are pool decks, outdoor walkways, and lobby entrances. Thousands of people walk the sidewalks and pedestrian areas in and around Miami. If the concrete moves due to excessive rain or poor drainage, it quickly becomes a tripping hazard.
Poor maintenance leads to serious dangers. Common slip and fall causes are mentioned below:
Preventive maintenance is key to keeping businesses safe and reducing hazards.
Call Us Today 305-598-2000
Slip and fall injuries range from minor cuts to injuries requiring major surgery. Some examples of slip and fall injuries are listed below:
Injuries often require medical intervention, physical therapy, and taking time off from work. Florida has a high number of retirees over 65 years of age, and a slip or fall injury is the leading cause of injury death among older adults. Slip and fall injuries are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and emergency room admissions for trauma.
In 2025, unintentional falls sent more than 60,000 people to emergency departments in Miami-Dade County, according to the Florida Department of Health. Medical facilities like Coral Gables Hospital and Baptist Health see many of these cases each year.
Florida has a specific law dedicated to slip-and-fall injuries. Florida Statutes § 768.0755 establishes specific requirements for slip-and-fall claims involving transitory foreign substances in business establishments. If you slip on spilled liquid, food, grease, or another temporary substance, you must prove that the business had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition and should have taken action to correct it.
This law can have a substantial effect on whether a claim leads to compensation. Whether a fall happens in Wynwood, Miami Design District, Allapattah, or elsewhere in the city, actual knowledge of the hazard must exist. One example could be an employee who saw the wet surface or was told about it but did not take further action to address the problem.
Constructive knowledge can be established by showing that the dangerous condition existed long enough that the business should have discovered it through reasonable care. It can also be shown when the condition occurred regularly enough that its recurrence was foreseeable.
Florida’s slip-and-fall laws make it crucial to understand the circumstances surrounding the fall. Establishing how long a hazard was present, whether employees knew about it, and whether similar hazards had occurred before can directly affect your ability to pursue compensation from the business.
Proving negligence after a fall-related injury in Miami is a critical first step for anyone seeking compensation for the harm they suffered. Photographs and videos can document spills, broken flooring, inadequate lighting, missing handrails, and other hazards that should have been repaired. Surveillance footage may show that employees were aware of the dangerous property hazard yet failed to address it.
Other examples of useful forms of evidence are listed below:
Your own medical records from Jackson Memorial Hospital, HCA Florida Mercy Hospital, University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, and elsewhere can connect your injuries to the fall and document their severity. Your attorney can gather and preserve this evidence before footage is erased, conditions change, or witnesses become difficult to locate.
With legal support from a slip-and-fall attorney who understands Florida’s slip and fall laws and how to manage a complex slip-and-fall claim, you can pursue the compensation that you are owed. No two cases are the same, but there are basic steps that any Miami slip-and-fall attorney would typically follow when pursuing a settlement or court verdict.
First, your lawyer can gather the evidence that is needed to establish fault under Florida law. Then, they can reach out to the at-fault party or their representative, which could be an insurance carrier, seeking compensation that resolves the dispute. If those talks lead to a favorable settlement offer, that could resolve the matter.
When negotiations do not lead to a fair settlement offer, your lawyer can pursue compensation through the civil court system. For residents in Miami, that may involve litigation at the Circuit Civil Division of Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, located at 20 NW 1st Avenue here in Miami.
Florida slip and fall laws state that property and business owners have a legal duty to maintain premises for safety. They are legally liable for injuries where evidence exists or can be proven. A person injured through a slip or fall must prove the business had knowledge of the hazard and failed to address it.
You want to hire a slip and fall lawyer to gather evidence like security camera footage, incident reports, and witness accounts. They can work to uncover how long the problem existed before a fall occurred. A Miami slip and fall attorney may also be able to identify previous legal actions taken against the liable party for the same or similar hazards.
Around 20-30% of adults who fall suffer from moderate to severe injuries, including hip fractures, concussions, or other severe brain injuries. Slip and fall injuries are serious, and they happen frequently in Miami.
The average payout for a slip and fall case in Florida varies based on the injury severity, liability evidence, medical costs, and comparative negligence. When someone is seriously injured in a slip and fall, they may have broken bones, spinal injuries, or a brain injury. The more permanent the injury, the higher the costs of medical care. This translates into additional compensation. In Florida, settlements are impacted by comparative negligence, which reduces compensation based on fault.
It may be hard to reach a settlement for a slip and fall case in Miami, Florida, especially without a lawyer’s help. The burden of proof for negligence means you must prove the business had actual knowledge of the hazard, which can make it difficult to prove liability. Insurance companies often push back, arguing that the victim was at least partially at fault. Evidence in slip and fall claims is difficult to control unless you’ve hired an experienced Miami slip and fall attorney.
Comparative negligence significantly impacts slip and fall settlements in Florida. Florida uses a modified comparative negligence rule that can reduce compensation or even bar a victim from compensation if the victim is more than 50% at fault. To prove that a company is liable for damages, evidence must be quickly stored and fully documented. Gathering and saving evidence helps prove that the accident was not the fault of the victim.
The time it takes to negotiate and settle a slip and fall claim can vary significantly. One reason is that insurance companies must wait until injuries have stabilized. Depending on the injury severity, this process may add significant time. When a case goes to court, it often takes even longer. Once a settlement offer is signed, it is considered complete, and a Florida insurer must make a payment.
Here in Miami, we believe in upholding justice. The legal team at the Law Office of Alexander Alvarez, PA, strives to help you receive the compensation you deserve for your slip and fall case. Contact us to schedule a consultation and get started today.
*Client testimonials reflect individual experiences and do not guarantee a similar outcome.
★★★★★
“Mr. Alvarez not only is a great professional, but it also has excellent skills as a mediator, which to my knowledge, sometimes is better than an expensive litigation. He’s also a sensitive individual.” – Ed Gugliotta
Contact our firm in Miami online or by telephone at 866-270-0589 and arrange a free initial consultation. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, so there is no financial obligation to simply speaking with our firm and learning about your options.
Fields Marked With An “*” Are Required
© 2026 Law Office of Alexander Alvarez, PA • All Rights Reserved.
Digital Marketing By 
*Images are obtained under license from Canva and other third-party stock image providers, with attribution included where required.
ES