Reviewed by Mike Redondo, Founding Attorney, Redondo Law, P.A. • Updated October 2026
If you fell on someone else’s property in West Palm Beach and got hurt, Redondo Law can help you find out whether you have a claim. We represent people injured in falls at stores, restaurants, hotels, apartment buildings and parking garages in West Palm Beach and across Palm Beach County.
We want to be clear about where we are. Our only office is in Miami, about 70 miles south. We work with West Palm Beach clients by phone, by video, or in person, and the consultation is free. This page is part of our West Palm Beach injury lawyer guide.
Where falls happen in West Palm Beach
A fall can happen anywhere people walk. In West Palm Beach, we see the same kinds of places come up again and again.
- Restaurants and bars. Spilled drinks, dropped food and wet floors near the bar or restrooms, including in the busy downtown blocks around Clematis Street.
- Grocery stores. Leaking coolers, produce on the floor, and freshly mopped aisles with no warning.
- Shopping centers and outlet malls. Slick entrance tile on rainy days, broken curbs, and uneven walkways.
- Hotels and resorts. Wet pool decks, lobby floors, and poorly lit stairs.
- Apartment and condo buildings. Broken steps, loose handrails, and puddles in hallways or breezeways.
- Parking garages. Oil, standing water, wheel stops in dark corners, and worn stair edges.
South Florida rain makes many of these worse. Water gets tracked inside in minutes, and owners know it. What matters is what they did about it.
What Florida law requires you to prove
Falling on someone’s property does not make the owner responsible by itself. You have to show the owner or business was careless and that the carelessness caused your injury.
Florida has a special rule for falls on a “transitory foreign substance” in a business. That phrase means something that is not supposed to be on the floor, like water, a spilled drink, or a grape. Under Florida Statute 768.0755, you must prove the business had actual or constructive knowledge of the hazard and should have fixed it.
Actual knowledge
Actual knowledge means the business knew. An employee saw the spill, caused the spill, or was told about it by another customer, and nothing was done in time.
Constructive knowledge
Constructive knowledge means the business should have known. You can show this in two ways. First, the substance was there long enough that staff using ordinary care would have found it. Second, the condition happened regularly, so it was foreseeable. A cooler that leaks every week is an example.
Proof of time often comes from small details. Dirty water, track marks, footprints, or a melted puddle can suggest a spill sat there for a while. This is why photos taken right after a fall matter so much.
Other kinds of hazards
Not every fall involves a spill. Many cases involve a problem with the property itself. The owner’s duty to keep the place reasonably safe and to warn of dangers still applies.
- Broken or uneven sidewalks, steps and curbs
- Loose mats, torn carpet and cracked tile
- Missing or loose handrails
- Poor lighting in stairwells, hallways and garages
- Potholes and wheel stops in parking lots
- Cords, boxes and stock left in walkways
- Floors that are slick when wet with no mat or warning sign
Evidence that disappears fast
Slip and fall cases are won or lost on evidence, and much of it does not last. The spill gets mopped. The broken step gets repaired. Witnesses leave.
Video is the biggest concern. Many stores, hotels and garages have cameras, but many systems record over old footage on a regular cycle. If nobody asks the business to save the video, it can be gone before you finish treatment.
When we take a case, one of the first things we do is send a written letter telling the business to preserve video, incident reports, cleaning logs and inspection records. Cleaning and inspection logs can show how long it had been since anyone checked the area.
Common injuries
A hard fall can cause serious harm, especially for older adults. Injuries we often see include:
- Broken wrists, arms, hips and ankles
- Knee and shoulder injuries, including torn ligaments
- Back and neck injuries, including herniated discs
- Head injuries and concussions
- Deep cuts and bruising
Some injuries do not show up fully on day one. See a doctor soon, and tell the doctor exactly how you fell. St. Mary’s Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center both serve West Palm Beach, and St. Mary’s is a trauma center.
How the insurance company will try to blame you
Florida uses modified comparative negligence. If you are found more than 50% at fault for your own fall, you generally recover nothing. At 50% or less, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. Here is a simple hypothetical: if a jury finds you 20% at fault, your award is cut by 20%.
Because of this rule, the insurer has a strong reason to shift blame to you. Expect arguments like these:
- Your shoes. They may say your sandals, heels or worn soles caused the fall.
- Your phone. They may say you were looking at a screen and not where you were walking.
- Warning signs. They may say a wet floor sign or cone was out and you ignored it.
- Open and obvious. They may say the hazard was easy to see and you should have avoided it.
These arguments can be answered with facts. Where was the sign, really? Was the lighting good enough to see the spill? Keep the shoes you were wearing and do not clean them. They are evidence.
Falls on government property
Some falls happen on property owned by a city, a county or the state, such as a public sidewalk, a park, or a government building. These claims follow different rules under Florida Statute 768.28. You must give written notice to the agency before you can sue, and the law caps the damages you can recover.
It is not always clear who owns a sidewalk or a parking area. Sorting that out early matters, because the notice steps take time.
What to do after a fall
- Report the fall to a manager or the property owner before you leave, and ask for a copy of the incident report.
- Take photos and video of the hazard, the floor around it, the lighting, and any warning signs or the lack of them.
- Get names and phone numbers of witnesses and of any employees you spoke with.
- Note whether there are cameras nearby.
- Get medical care right away and follow up as told.
- Keep your shoes and clothing as they are. Do not wash or throw them away.
- Do not give a recorded statement or sign anything for the property’s insurance company before you get legal advice.
- Write down what happened while it is fresh, including the time and what you slipped on.
Florida law you should know
Most negligence claims arising on or after March 24, 2023 must be filed within two years. If you fell on a spilled substance in a business, Florida Statute 768.0755 requires you to prove the business knew or should have known about it. Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule bars recovery if you are more than 50% at fault and reduces it by your share of fault otherwise. Claims against government agencies require written notice first and have damage caps under Florida Statute 768.28.
How working with a Miami-based firm works
Redondo Law has one office, at 2828 Coral Way in Miami. We do not have an office in West Palm Beach. West Palm Beach clients can meet with us by phone, by video, or at the Miami office. If your injuries keep you from traveling, we come to you.
Lawsuits are filed in the county where the case belongs. For a fall in West Palm Beach, that is usually Palm Beach County, in Florida’s 15th Judicial Circuit, which has its main courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach. Mike Redondo is licensed to practice throughout Florida.
Mike is the firm’s only attorney, and he personally oversees every case. Before founding Redondo Law in 2019, he spent six years at Holland & Knight defending major corporations in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. He knows how businesses and their insurers build a defense. Our staff is fully bilingual, and our phones are answered 24/7.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in Florida?
For most falls that happened on or after March 24, 2023, you have two years to file a lawsuit. Claims against a government agency have extra notice steps. Do not wait, because the evidence fades much faster than the deadline.
What if there was a wet floor sign?
A sign does not end the case. It matters where the sign was, whether you could see it, and whether it was close to the actual hazard. A cone at one end of a long aisle may not warn anyone about a spill at the other end.
What if I did not report the fall when it happened?
You can still have a claim, but report it as soon as you can. Many people leave in pain or embarrassment and only later learn how badly they were hurt. Your medical records, photos and witnesses can help fill the gap.
What does it cost to hire Redondo Law?
The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we win. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, set within the limits of the Florida Bar rules, and it is explained in a written agreement before you sign.
Do I have to come to Miami?
No. Most West Palm Beach clients handle everything by phone, video and email. You are welcome at the Miami office if you prefer to meet in person.
If you were hurt in a fall in West Palm Beach, we are glad to talk through what happened. You can read more detail on our Miami slip and fall lawyer page, or call (305) 908-6778 any time.
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