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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Lee County, Florida is the most populous county in Southwest Florida. The county seat is Fort Myers, and the largest city is Cape Coral. Lee County constitutes the entire Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area. Exotic trees and plants flourish in Lee's subtropical climate, and local waterways support a host of fish, birds and other animals. There are pristine white sand beaches throughout the scenic county.
Lee County is bordered by Charlotte County, Florida to the north, Glades County, Florida to the northeast, Collier County, Florida to the southeast and Hendry County, Florida to the east. There are five incorporated areas in Lee County, FL: Bonita Springs, City of Cape Coral, City of Fort Myers, Town of Fort Myers Beach, and Sanibel.
Lee County was named for Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general in the American Civil War. The county was created in 1887 from Monroe County, but its history begins much earlier. The barrier islands of Lee County are believed to have been explored by Ponce de Leon as early as 1513. Spanish settlers had established temporary fishing and farming camps, but southwest Florida was a rugged and isolated area. Until the late 1800s Lee County was used only as a base of operations for bands of pirates who preferred the isolation. By 1885, cattle, farming, and logging were early mainstays in the area. Thomas Alva Edison built his home and laboratory, Seminole Lodge, on the banks of the Caloosatchee River, and Edison was a strong force in the region's growth and development. During the building boom of the early 1900s, land speculators from the north flocked to Florida seeking their fortunes. Commercial and residential growth continues to this day.
The population of Lee County, Florida was 567,711 in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. There were 244,000 households in Lee County and the average household size was 2.3 people. Families made up 66 percent of the households in Lee County. The median income of households in Lee County was $49,742. Among the most common occupations are management and professional work, sales and office work, service jobs, and construction, maintenance and repair work.
The Lee County Public Schools serve Lee County's education needs of approximately 80,000 students in grades K-12. There are several colleges and universities in Lee County. They include Florida Gulf Coast University, Edison College, Hodges University and Southwest Florida College.
Public transportation is provided by the Lee County Transit Department, known as LeeTran. Lee County is easily navigated by auto. Interstate 75 is the county's only controlled-access freeway with nine interchanges within Lee County. U.S. Highway 41 runs the length of Lee County, and is the county's main north-south highway. State Road 884 is Lee County's main east-west highway. Travel by air is available from Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field.
The Lee County Sheriffs Office provides for the safety and security of the county's residents. They also offer a wide variety of crime prevention programs and services. The Lee County Board of Commissioners is the primary legislative and governing body in Lee County, Florida.
Lee County Florida is home to six hospitals: Cape Coral Hospital, The Children's Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, Healthpark Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital and Lehigh Regional Medical Center.
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.
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.
