When cruise ships sail into Key West, the looming vessels evoke thoughts about the tourist economy.
What people don’t think about is how much damage these ships can cause to local marine life as they navigate through the port.
The College of the Florida Keys recently revealed in a year’s long study that the turbidity measures of ships – the level of suspended particles, such as sediment and organic matter, stirred up by the ship as it moves through the area – surpassed limits set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In some cases, these ships’ turbidity measurements reached levels akin to storms such as the recent damage left behind by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Patrick Rice, the Principal Investigator for Marine Research at the college told WLRN reporters that at least 32 events transcended EPA turbidity standards in one year, the effects of which were “like having 32 hurricanes, basically.” All 32 events were related to cruise ships, Rice said.
The port’s channels are just about 34 feet deep and 300 feet wide with reefs that stretch as high as 16 feet on either side, according to reporting from WLRN. Most of the ships passing through have a draft of 27 feet, measuring over 100 feet wide and about six feet from the ocean floor in that area.
The limits set by the EPA say turbidity should be capped at 29 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit, or NTUs. In 2021, a study from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said this limit should be higher to protect the surrounding wildlife.
Turbidity can damage sea life like coral reefs, a type of ecosystem that is already endangered in the Florida Keys from threats like coral bleaching due to warming ocean temperatures, pollution and boat propeller scaring.
One solution, Ride told reporters, includes dredging the channel to rid it of the top layer of sediment, but this would have to be closely monitored.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners has extensive experience in all areas of personal injury practice and has become among the nation’s leaders in a variety of specialties, including cruise ship injury litigation, for nearly 50 years. In Key West, where some of the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner’s first cases originated from, Leesfield & Partners occupies a space on historic Whitehead Street, making it a permanent fixture in the city and an easily recognizable name. This month, Leesfield & Partners sponsored the annual Monroe County Bar Association Luncheon at First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery for the 38th consecutive year.
In that time, Leesfield & partners has been recognized statewide and nationally, garnering titles such as Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers and more.
Key West
Leesfield & Partners covers all manners of incidents that take place in Key West from car crashes to premises liability and more. In decades of personal injury practice in that area, Leesfield & Partners has been recognized as among the leaders in its field in the Florida Keys.
The firm secured a $1 million settlement for the family of a patient of a Key West nursing home.
One client, who was stopped on the shoulder of the Overseas Highway while biking, was hit by an out-of-control vehicle whose driver was fiddling with the car’s GPS. The client suffered from multiple life-threatening injuries. Leesfield & Partners secured $5,350,000 in settlement for the injured biker.
Additionally, Leesfield & Partners has successfully handled hundreds of jet ski injury cases stemming from the negligence of Key West rental companies. In his time litigating these agonizing cases, Justin B. Shapiro, a Partner and Trial Lawyer at the firm, said that Leesfield & Partners sees more injuries and deaths occur from jet ski incidents than from any other recreational water activity.
Previously, the firm handled the case of a Californian family visiting the Florida Keys while on vacation. As an activity, the family hired a company to take them on a jet ski tour. Instead of leading them through the waters, the guides repeatedly sped away from the family. As a result, our client violently crashed into a concrete bridge piling when led through a narrow bridge opening.
Leesfield & Partners recovered a multi-million-dollar settlement in that case.
Another jet ski company failed to adequately ensure that all participants understood their safety briefing before heading out on the water. One tourist, who only spoke French, did not and killed the wife of a Leesfield & Partners client as a result. It was the company’s responsibility to ensure that all involved understood how to handle their machines and that they understood the briefing that was given.
A multi-million settlement was secured for the woman’s family.
Cruise Ship Cases
Leesfield & Partners has nearly five decades of experience representing passengers and crewmembers aboard cruise ships, allowing its attorneys to demonstrate their expertise and creativity in overcoming the complexities of international and maritime law to achieve the best possible outcomes for their clients. While most people think cruise ships are convenient, all-inclusive getaways, Leesfield & Partners attorneys know just how quickly a family vacation can become a nightmare.
Such was the case for one family who boarded a ship to celebrate a milestone anniversary when their father suffered a heart attack. The ship was still in port while he suffered this medical crisis, but ship personnel refused to evacuate him so that he could seek medical care on shore. Instead, the ship sailed for over 16 hours to Puerto Rico. The man’s family watched him suffer in agony for hours until his death.
Had he been evacuated and allowed to seek the emergency medical care he so desperate needed, this man could have been saved. Leesfield & Partners secured a confidential settlement for the family in that case.
Another shocking case of medical negligence at the hands of inept cruise doctors is that of a 9-month-old baby who lost several limbs after doctors misdiagnosed her meningitis as a stomach big. The doctors did not administer the antibiotics and ignored her worsening condition despite the infant exhibiting signs of meningitis.
A multi-million-dollar settlement was secured for the child and her family.
In addition to medical malpractice aboard cruise ships at the hands of negligent medical staff, Leesfield & Partners has also handled a variety of other case types involving ships such as negligent security and horrific slip and falls.
In one case handled by attorneys with the firm, a Canadian woman was raped by a crewmember who entered her room using an employee keycard. Attorneys with the firm secured a multi-million settlement amount for the woman in that case.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, is currently handling a case against a cruise line whose employee entered the private cabins of various passengers, including children as young as 2 years old, and planted hidden cameras to film these guests while they undressed. The employee has since been convicted of producing child pornography and was sentenced by a U.S. District Court Judge to 30 years in federal prison.
One of the guests in that case is a Leesfield & Partners client who has been left traumatized and violated, telling local news reporters in a recent interview that the ordeal left her with a “crushing, devastating, terrifying feeling.”
That case is ongoing.
In an article discussing cruise ship safety and how to combat crime within the rapidly growing industry, Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, said he sees a rise in the number of these cases and will likely continue to see one with the expansion of cruising.
“I do see an upward tick,” he said. “But, in all fairness, there are many more cruise passengers, and the cruise population is higher. So, the numbers go up, particularly when the cruise population is up, but the enforcement and policing are down. So, it’s sort of a perfect storm. And I think this will continue until the cruise lines get a program together.”