Sholtes Law, PLLC is not a billboard firm working cases from another part of the state. Our office sits at 309 Orange Avenue in Fort Pierce, the county seat, minutes from the St. Lucie County Courthouse where these cases are tried. Attorney Andrew Sholtes is a native of St. Lucie, Florida, and he has spent his career representing injured people across the Treasure Coast \u2014 including in the premises liability claims that property insurers fight hardest.<\/p>\n
This page covers fall injuries anywhere in St. Lucie County, including Fort Pierce, Lakewood Park, White City, and unincorporated areas. If your injury happened within the City of Port St. Lucie specifically, our Port St. Lucie slip and fall accident attorney<\/a> page covers that city\u2019s neighborhoods, retail corridors, and local details in depth.<\/p>\n Slip and fall claims are among the most aggressively defended injury cases in Florida, so the lawyer you choose matters. Andrew Sholtes graduated magna cum laude from Florida International University College of Law and trained under one of the nation\u2019s top trial lawyers at the Willie Gary Law Group, handling personal injury, wrongful death, and complex commercial litigation. He brings that trial-tested preparation to every premises liability case our firm accepts, because insurance carriers pay fair value only when they believe the case will be tried, not just settled.<\/p>\n We are also built for this county. We know the supermarkets and big-box stores along US-1 and Okeechobee Road, the condominium and apartment communities from Fort Pierce to Tradition, and the procedures of the 19th Judicial Circuit. When you hire our firm, you work directly with a local legal team that investigates quickly, communicates plainly, and never asks you for a fee unless we win.<\/p>\n A slip and fall claim is a type of premises liability claim: a demand that a property owner or business pay for injuries caused by its failure to keep its property reasonably safe. The duty owed depends on your status. Business invitees \u2014 customers, tenants, hotel guests \u2014 are owed the highest duty, including regular inspection for hidden dangers. Social guests must be warned of known hazards. Even then, the owner is only liable if it was negligent: it created the hazard, knew about it, or should have discovered it through reasonable care.<\/p>\n The hazards behind most St. Lucie County fall claims are familiar ones:<\/p>\n Falls on public property \u2014 county buildings, parks, or city sidewalks in Fort Pierce or Port St. Lucie \u2014 are possible claims too, but they are governed by Fla. Stat. \u00a7 768.28, which requires formal pre-suit notice to the government and caps damages at $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident. Those procedural requirements are unforgiving, so get legal advice early if a public entity may be responsible.<\/p>\n Two statutes shape every fall case we handle in St. Lucie County. The first is Fla. Stat. \u00a7 768.0755: if you slipped on a transitory foreign substance in a business establishment \u2014 a spilled drink, a puddle, a dropped piece of produce \u2014 you must prove the business had actual or constructive knowledge<\/strong> of the hazard. Constructive knowledge is usually proven circumstantially: the substance was there long enough that a careful business would have found it, or the condition occurred so regularly it was foreseeable. Surveillance video, sweep logs, inspection policies, and employee testimony are the raw material of that proof, and most of it sits in the defendant\u2019s hands until a lawyer demands its preservation.<\/p>\n The second is HB 837, Florida\u2019s 2023 tort reform law. It cut the statute of limitations for negligence claims from four years to two years<\/strong> and adopted modified comparative negligence: your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and if you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing. Property insurers lean on that rule constantly \u2014 arguing the hazard was \u201copen and obvious,\u201d that you were distracted, or that your footwear was to blame. Countering those arguments with evidence gathered early is one of the most important things a St. Lucie slip and fall accident lawyer does for you.<\/p>\n Our firm investigates fall injuries throughout the county. In Fort Pierce<\/strong>, that includes the shops and restaurants of the historic downtown and waterfront along Seaway Drive, the commercial corridors of US-1, Orange Avenue, and Okeechobee Road, the grocery stores and plazas serving Lakewood Park, and the marinas, hotels, and event venues that draw visitors to the Treasure Coast. In Port St. Lucie<\/strong>, the county\u2019s largest city, falls cluster in the big-box retail centers of St. Lucie West and Gatlin Boulevard and the rapidly growing communities around Tradition \u2014 our city page linked above covers those locations in detail.<\/p>\n County-wide, the same categories of properties generate claims again and again: supermarkets and warehouse stores, restaurants and bars, hotels and short-term rentals, apartment and condominium common areas, medical offices and senior living facilities, and government property. Florida\u2019s climate adds its own hazards \u2014 daily summer storms leave entryways and parking lots slick, and humidity grows algae on outdoor walkways year-round. Businesses operating in St. Lucie County know these conditions and are expected to plan for them with mats, signage, and frequent inspections.<\/p>\n The injuries in these cases are rarely minor. Hip, wrist, and ankle fractures, concussions and traumatic brain injuries, herniated discs and other spinal damage, and torn ligaments and rotator cuffs are the diagnoses we see most. Seriously injured fall victims in this county are commonly treated at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce \u2014 the region\u2019s Level II trauma center \u2014 as well as Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital and HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital in Port St. Lucie. For older residents, a single fall can mean surgery, months of rehabilitation, and a permanent loss of independence, and we build our damages cases to reflect those real, long-term consequences rather than the insurer\u2019s quick estimate.<\/p>\n A successful premises liability claim can recover economic damages \u2014 emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, future medical treatment, lost wages, and diminished earning capacity \u2014 together with non-economic damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and the injury\u2019s impact on your family. Where the evidence shows gross negligence or intentional misconduct, Florida allows punitive damages, generally capped at three times compensatory damages or $500,000 under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 768.73. We document every category before we talk numbers with the insurer, because you only get one settlement.<\/p>\n If a lawsuit becomes necessary, fall cases arising anywhere in the county are filed in St. Lucie County and heard at the St. Lucie County Courthouse in Fort Pierce, part of Florida\u2019s 19th Judicial Circuit. Our Fort Pierce office at 309 Orange Avenue<\/strong> is minutes away, and we also maintain offices in Stuart and Okeechobee for clients in Martin and Okeechobee counties. That proximity is practical, not cosmetic: it means scene inspections, court filings, and in-person meetings happen quickly, and it means your lawyer knows the local court\u2019s judges and procedures firsthand.<\/p>\n Your case will be governed by Florida law and, if suit is filed, litigated in the St. Lucie County Courthouse regardless of which city you fell in. What matters is hiring a firm that knows this county\u2019s businesses, medical providers, and courts. Sholtes Law represents fall victims in every city and unincorporated community in St. Lucie County.<\/p>\n Generally two years from the date of the fall under HB 837, which shortened Florida\u2019s negligence statute of limitations in 2023. Claims involving government property require pre-suit notice under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 768.28 on an even tighter administrative track. Waiting also lets surveillance video get overwritten, so act quickly even though two years sounds like a long time.<\/p>\n That is the \u201copen and obvious\u201d defense, and it rarely ends a case by itself. Under Florida\u2019s modified comparative negligence rule, a jury assigns percentages of fault; your recovery is reduced by your share and barred only if you exceed 50 percent. Strong scene evidence usually keeps the fault where it belongs \u2014 on the owner who let the danger exist.<\/p>\n Nothing out of pocket. We work on a contingency fee: the consultation is free, we advance case costs, and our fee is paid only from the recovery we win for you. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney\u2019s fee.<\/p>\n Possibly two claims. Workers\u2019 compensation under Fla. Stat. ch. 440 is generally your exclusive remedy against your employer, but if you fell on property controlled by someone other than your employer \u2014 a client\u2019s premises, a shopping center, a negligently maintained building \u2014 a third-party premises liability claim may allow full damages on top of workers\u2019 comp benefits.<\/p>\n The property owner\u2019s insurance company started protecting its interests the moment you hit the ground. It is time someone protected yours. Call Sholtes Law, PLLC at 855-534-2509<\/strong><\/a> or contact us online<\/a> for a complimentary case analysis with a St. Lucie slip and fall accident attorney. There is no fee unless we recover for you, and our office at 309 Orange Avenue, Fort Pierce, FL 34950 serves clients throughout St. Lucie County.<\/p>\n Learn more about attorney Andrew Sholtes<\/a> or explore our other St. Lucie County practice pages, including lesiones personales<\/a>, accidentes de coche<\/a>, accidentes laborales<\/a>, and muerte injusta<\/a>. If your fall happened in Fort Pierce specifically, see our Fort Pierce slip and fall page<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n\t\t\tWhy Choose Sholtes Law as Your St. Lucie Slip and Fall Accident Attorney<\/h2>\n
Premises Liability Claims in St. Lucie County, Explained<\/h2>\n
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Florida Slip and Fall Law: Section 768.0755 and the Two-Year Deadline<\/h2>\n
Where Falls Happen Across St. Lucie County<\/h2>\n
Fall Injuries and Where Victims Are Treated in St. Lucie County<\/h2>\n
What to Do After a Slip and Fall in St. Lucie County<\/h2>\n
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Compensation Available to St. Lucie County Fall Victims<\/h2>\n
Your Case in the 19th Judicial Circuit<\/h2>\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
Do I need a St. Lucie County attorney if my fall happened in Port St. Lucie or Fort Pierce?<\/h3>\n
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in St. Lucie County?<\/h3>\n
What if the store says I should have seen the hazard?<\/h3>\n
How much does a St. Lucie slip and fall accident lawyer cost?<\/h3>\n
Can I bring a claim if I was hurt while working?<\/h3>\n
Contact a St. Lucie Slip and Fall Accident Attorney Today<\/h2>\n
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