Personal Injury
If you have been injured by another person's carelessness or recklessness, the law firm of Parker Waichman Alonso LLP can help you recover damages and move on with your life.
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Fort Myers, Florida is located about 15 miles inland off the southwest coast of Florida. It is part of the Ft. Myers / Cape Coral Metropolitan Statistical Area which had a 2008 population estimate of 623,725. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2007 estimate, 60,531 people live in the 31 square miles of the incorporated City of Fort Myers, Florida. That's an increase of over 20,000 residents since the 2000 Census was taken. The area is separated from Cape Coral by the Caloosahatchee River, or locally called the Four Mile Cove. Ft. Myers is the seat of Lee County and with its strategic location near ocean, river and Interstate 75, is the commercial and business hub for the county.
Originally built in 1850 as a military fort to fight off the Seminole Indians, Fort Myers was named after a relative of the fort's commander, Abraham C. Myers. Once the Indians were driven from the area the fort was left abandoned until the Civil War, when Union soldiers temporarily defended it against Confederate troops from 1863 to 1865, after which it was again abandoned. It was not until 1882 that a sizeable number of settlers moved into the area and by 1885 Fort Myers was incorporated. With the building of the Royal Palms Hotel in 1898, Fort Myers was on its way to becoming a sunny winter resort. The construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge built in 1924 sparked the real growth period for Fort Myers. Shortly after the bridge was constructed, the city experienced a real estate boom and subdivisions sprouted in and around what is today's modern Fort Myers.
Spring training and Fort Myers, FL go hand-in-hand for two Major League Baseball teams: the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. Fort Myers, Florida is also home to the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and the Florida Everblades ECHL hockey team.
Fort Myers, FL has attractions and activities galore that make it a popular tourist destination unto itself instead of just a gateway to other Florida venues. Activities abound for all ages. Golfing, skateboarding, ice-skating, roller-skating, nature walks, a hands-on museum, water park, boating, a planetarium, and much more ensure it is truly a family vacation and entertainment area.
If relaxation is your sport, miles of pristine beaches and numerous islands allow you to get away from it all. And when the day is done you'll find every restaurant chain represented, as well as many quality independent eateries. If it was the fisherman in you that brought you to Fort Myers, Florida then you'll find it easy to stay occupied no matter what type of fishing you enjoy: backwater, offshore, fly, or flats fishing. There are also numerous boating and sea excursions for charter from the banks of the Caloosahatchee River.
Educational pursuits get a big boost in Fort Myers as Forbes' "Top 400 Schools to Get Your Kid into Harvard" includes Fort Myers' private school “Canterbury.” Also, Canterbury students have won the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Grand Award five times in the past 20 years. Ranked as one of the best public high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine is Fort Myers Senior High School, an International Baccalaureate school.
The Florida State Courts System is divided into 20 judicial circuits or areas of jurisdiction. Florida has two appellate courts. Florida's Supreme Court, the state's highest court, hears civil and criminal appeals from the lower courts. The court also answers constitutional questions and rules on the validity of statutes and on the construction of the state or U.S. constitutions. The state's five District Courts of Appeal, headquartered in Tallahassee, Lakeland, Miami, West Palm Beach, and Daytona Beach, hear all matters not directly appealable to the Supreme Court, as well as final actions of state agencies.
Florida has a two-tier trial court system of Circuit and County courts. The state's Circuit Courts hear felonies, family law matters civil cases involving amounts over $15,000, probate, guardianship and mental health issues, juvenile dependency and delinquency issues and appeals from County Court. The state's County Courts hear misdemeanors, small claims of up to $5,000 and civil cases of up to and including $15,000 in controversy, as well as traffic cases. Examples of civil matters include hospital negligence, surgical malpractice, automobile accidents, truck accidents, work injury, dog bites, and professional liability lawsuits.
Fort Myers, located in Lee County, is part of the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida. The Lee Justice Center is located at 1700 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901.
