Broward County records tens of thousands of traffic crashes every year, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles publishes the county figures in its crash reports. If you were hurt or arrested anywhere in Broward, the time to act is now. You are dealing with an adjuster who has already opened a file, or a first appearance docket that starts at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
Weinstein Legal Team has practiced in Fort Lauderdale since 2016. Our office is on NE 13th Street, about two miles from the Broward County Courthouse where your case will be heard. Call us 24/7 at (954) 845-0505 for a free case review with an experienced Fort Lauderdale attorney.
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We are located in Fort Lauderdale in the 13th Street District between Wilton Manors and Flagler Village, just north of downtown. We are a short drive from the Broward County Courthouse and Main Jail, and minutes from Broward Health Medical Center. Free parking on site. If you cannot come to us because you are in the hospital or in custody, we will come to you.
Visit Our Offices 514 NE 13th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL , 33304Weinstein Legal Team serves clients in Broward County from our Fort Lauderdale office. Explore legal services in the communities below.
Florida law puts two clocks on your case, and most people miss the first one.
Fourteen days for treatment. Florida is a no-fault state. Under Florida Statute § 627.736, your own Personal Injury Protection coverage pays first regardless of who caused the crash — but only if you receive initial medical care within 14 days of the accident. Miss that window and your PIP benefits are gone entirely. PIP covers 80% of reasonable medical expenses and 60% of lost wages up to $10,000, and that full $10,000 is only available if a treating provider certifies you had an emergency medical condition. Without that certification, your cap drops to $2,500.
Two years to file suit. Florida’s statute of limitations for negligence claims was cut from four years to two by HB 837, signed in March 2023. For any crash occurring after that date, you have two years. That same law also changed Florida to a modified comparative negligence system: if you are found more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing at all. That single change makes early evidence preservation — the crash report, the scene, the witnesses, the vehicle — far more consequential than it used to be.
If you were treated at Broward Health Medical Center on South Andrews Avenue, the county’s Level I trauma center, or at Broward Health North, Imperial Point, or Holy Cross, we can request those records and begin documenting your injuries while the 14-day window is still open.
Broward County’s own high-injury network analysis found that more than 65% of crashes causing serious injury or death occur on just 14.4% of the county’s roads. Those roads are not a mystery. We handle cases from them constantly:
Location matters to your claim more than most people expect. Whether a crash happened on an interstate, a state road, or a city street changes which agency holds the crash report, what camera and signal-timing evidence exists, and sometimes whether a government entity shares liability for the roadway itself.
Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130, you must see a judge within 24 hours of arrest. In Broward County, that happens through a dedicated First Appearance Division that sits every single day, including weekends and holidays.
If you were arrested anywhere in Broward County, you were transported to the Broward County Main Jail at 555 SE 1st Avenue for booking.
Under the circuit’s administrative order, First Appearance dockets run at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Friday, and 8:30 a.m. only on weekends and court holidays. If booking finishes by 4:00 a.m., the case goes on the morning docket; by 9:00 a.m., the afternoon one. DUI arrests take longer to book because officers must offer breath, blood, or urine testing.
At that hearing, the judge decides three things: whether there was probable cause for the arrest, whether you are released and on what bond or supervision, and what conditions apply. You have the right to an attorney there. Having private counsel appear at First Appearance, rather than meeting an appointed lawyer for the first time in the courtroom, is often the difference between release on your own recognizance and a bond you cannot post.
At Weinstein Legal Team, our experienced Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers passionately fight on behalf of the injured. We are here to help you with everything from gathering evidence and documenting your injuries to filing your personal injury claim and fighting for the compensation you deserve.
We specialize in all areas of personal injury law, including:
We also represent clients who have been victims of a wide range of catastrophic injuries, including truck accidents, Uber and Lyft accidents, slip and fall, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, burn injuries, dog bites, and wrongful death.
Cases in Broward County are prosecuted by the Broward State Attorney’s Office and heard in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Felony and misdemeanor matters run through the Central Judicial Complex at 201 SE 6th Street downtown, while county cases are also heard at the North Regional Courthouse in Deerfield Beach, the South Regional Courthouse in Hollywood, and the West Regional Courthouse in Plantation. Which courthouse your case lands in affects scheduling, which prosecutors handle it, and how a case is realistically resolved.
In Florida, the statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is two years from the date of the accident or injury, as updated by Florida law effective March 24, 2023. This means you must file your lawsuit within this two-year window or likely lose your right to seek compensation through the court system. For cases against state or local government entities, you must present a written notice of claim within three years (two years for wrongful death) and follow the procedure in Fla. Stat. s. 768.28(6), and the suit itself has four years under Fla. Stat. s. 768.28(14) (two years for wrongful death).
A few circumstances can extend or “toll” these deadlines, but they are narrower than people expect. A minor’s claim is tolled under s. 95.051(1)(i) only while the child has no parent or guardian free of a conflict of interest, not automatically until age 18, and Florida’s delayed-discovery rule is limited to specific claims such as fraud, products liability and professional malpractice (s. 95.031(2), s. 95.11(5)(b)-(c)); an ordinary negligence claim accrues when the injury happens. Medical malpractice claims must go through the pre-suit notice process in s. 766.106 before filing, and mailing the notice of intent tolls the limitation period for the 90-day pre-suit window (s. 766.106(4)). Talk to an attorney well before any of these deadlines so nothing is missed.
Most cases are heard at the Central Judicial Complex, 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, the seat of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Circuit Civil handles claims where alleged damages exceed $50,000 (Fla. Stat. s. 34.01(1)(c)); smaller claims go to County Civil. Broward also has three regional courthouses in Deerfield Beach, Hollywood and Plantation. Our office is roughly two miles from the Central Judicial Complex.
Broward holds first appearances daily, including weekends. You generally must be brought before a judge within 24 hours after arrest. Confirm the current docket time with the jail or the First Appearance Division because the court may alter its schedule. See the Seventeenth Circuit first-appearance order.
Possibly. Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence standard (Fla. Stat. s. 768.81(6), in force since March 24, 2023), you can still recover if you were partly at fault, with your compensation reduced by your share. But if you are found more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing. Because fault allocation now determines whether you recover at all rather than just how much, early investigation matters.
Florida’s no-fault PIP coverage pays 80% of reasonable medical expenses and 60% of lost wages, up to a $10,000 combined cap, regardless of who caused the crash. You must receive initial care within 14 days. The full $10,000 is only available if a treating provider certifies an emergency medical condition. Otherwise, the cap is $2,500. PIP is usually only the beginning; serious injuries require a claim against the at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability coverage.
Yes, substantially. There is no PIP for boating accidents; boat insurance is not mandatory in Florida the way auto coverage is, and a serious incident often triggers a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or U.S. Coast Guard investigation running parallel to your civil claim. Maritime law can also apply depending on where the incident occurred. Given how much of Fort Lauderdale is waterway, we handle these regularly.
The timeline for settling a personal injury case in Florida typically ranges from several months to two years, depending on the complexity of the case. Simple cases with clear liability and moderate injuries might settle within 3-9 months after medical treatment is completed. More complex cases involving severe injuries, disputed liability, or multiple parties can take 18-24 months or longer to resolve.
A significant factor affecting the timeline is reaching maximum medical improvement (MMI), as settlement negotiations typically don’t begin in earnest until the full extent of injuries is understood. The negotiation process itself often takes several months, with additional time required if the case proceeds to litigation. Court backlogs in busy jurisdictions like Miami-Dade or Broward County can further extend the timeline for cases that don’t settle pre-trial.
Fort Lauderdale, FL, is a seaside home to over 165,000 in the city proper and more than 5.7 million in the Ft. Lauderdale metro area. The city is the county seat of Broward County and a popular tourist destination abundant in recreational activities, restaurants, nightlife, watersports, and history.
Fort Lauderdale’s notoriety as a tourist destination also makes it susceptible to crime. In fact, nearly 9,000 arrests were made within the city in 2019. This was a 9% increase from 2018 to 2019.
What’s more, arrests in Fort Lauderdale have been on the rise since 2016. Seek representation immediately if you or a loved one has been arrested.
Crashes and injuries are also common in Fort Lauderdale and throughout Broward County. In motor vehicle accidents alone, Broward County experienced nearly 25,000 injuries and fatalities in a single year, according to the most recent data. Additionally, recent statistics show Fort Lauderdale has the second-highest fatality rate for pedestrians in the nation.
Injuries don’t pay for themselves – and neither do those who inflicted harm. Seek the justice you deserve by scheduling a free evaluation today.
