Just south of Interstate 275 in a pocket of the Tampa Bay is an island that may be home to a new cruise port, but locals worry about the environmental impact of such a project, according to The Miami Herald.
The area is being eyed for a terminal by two companies — SSA Marine and Slip Knott LLC — for megaships that cannot pass under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The bridge maintains a clearance of about 193 feet for ships, despite being raised by about 50% to accommodate larger vessels in 1987, and still presents a limitation for megaships trying to pass through the area.
Currently, the island serves as a natural habitat for a multitude of native species and is known as “Paradise Island” to locals and nature enthusiasts, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. “As a conservation tradeoff” ahead of their plans to develop the Knott-Cowen Tract into a cruise port hub, the companies have proposed the preservation of Rattlesnake Key — a largely undeveloped 830-acre island that sold last year for $18 million. SSA Marine is the current owner of Rattlesnake Key.
Proposed plans for development would require significant dredging in the area and even a nearby resort on Ed’s Key, which many locals are unhappy about, the media reported. Photos of the area show signs reading “no cruise port,” just off the shore of Paradise Island as a protest.
As a personal injury law firm with five decades of experience handling the injuries of cruise ship accident victims, Leesfield & Partners has seen the rapid expansion of the cruise line industry.
Described as “floating cities,” by Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, these vessels offer an abundance of thrill-seeking attractions both onboard and through shore excursions. From traumatic slip and falls, equipment issues, medical malpractice incidents and criminal activity on these ships, our attorneys know just how quickly a planned vacation can turn into a family’s worst nightmare. As the industry continues to expand — experts project a record 21.7 million Americans will take cruises in 2026 — so does the potential for injuries.
Leesfield & Partners
Our skilled trial attorneys handle every case with the compassion and tenacity necessary to achieve the best outcome for every client. From a family grieving the loss of their young son who died in a shore excursion bus accident to a crewmember whose arm had to be amputated due to the shocking failure of cruise ship medical personnel, our attorneys have worked diligently since 1976to ensure these entities are held accountable. The firm has been recognized both statewide and nationally for its dedication to clients and results, many of which have marked record verdicts and settlements in the state.
In the first case mentioned above, our attorneys secured a $3 million settlement for the family after their son was ejected from the vehicle. The bus in this incident was improperly maintained and was being operated by a driver with a slew of violations. The bus careened off a steep road and crashed into an embankment below, where it flipped on its side, causing severe injuries.
The firm obtained a $3.3 million arbitration award for a cruise ship employee whose arm was amputated in the second case mentioned above.
The man had gone to the ship’s infirmary with symptoms of nausea. Medical staff administered medication to him that was meant to be slowly injected into the muscle over time. Ignoring black box labels on the box, they rapidly injected it straight into his IV, causing immediate and severe pain. He was in agony for hours while medical personnel attempted to search online for what to do.
Eventually, he was able to seek medical care on shore. By then, his arm showed signs of necrosis and had to be amputated.
Trial Attorney Carlos Fabano represented a family in another cruise ship medical negligence case. That case involved the delayed diagnosis and treatment of our client’s mother’s medical emergency.
The results in this case are confidential.
While passengers who embark on these cruises are more focused on creating fun-filled memories and unwinding from the typical stressors of everyday life, our attorneys are all too familiar with the various ways in which cruise lines fail to protect their passengers and attempt to avoid responsibility after the incident.
Mr. Leesfield and Trial Attorney Bernardo Pimentel II are representing a woman who suffered a life-altering injury after a fall on a cruise ship deck that was slick with water. The 64-year-old grandmother and mother of four works long hours as a public school bus driver and in the school cafeteria. What was meant to be her first cruise and first time out of the country quickly turned into a nightmare. She was left for more than 24 hours in a Honduran medical facility in a “cinderblock” room with no food and very little water as she and her family desperately tried to find a way back to the U.S.
“This cruise line failed our client from the moment it neglected to address the hazardous condition that caused her fall,” Mr. Pimentel said. “From that point forward, she endured unnecessary and unacceptable suffering while already in pain. We intend to pursue justice for her to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mr. Pimentel is also representing a woman in an ongoing video voyeurism case. That woman was traveling on a ship with her family, all the while not knowing that a cruise ship employee had planted hidden cameras in her cabin and the cabins of other passengers. Many of those who were filmed were children.
That employee was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child sex abuse material.
Since this incident, our client has been left with deep emotional scarring.
As common carriers, cruise ships have a heightened duty of care to ensure the safety and well-being of passengers. This means ensuring that they are equipped with adequate and skilled medical staff who can address various injuries and illnesses that may occur onboard and ensuring that their ships are free from fall hazards that may cause injury to passengers.
Previous Excursion Cases
Previously, Leesfield & Partners represented a family after a mother and daughter bought a parasailing excursion while aboard a cruise ship. What should have been a thrilling adventure shared between the two turned into a nightmare while they were up in the air. A malfunction with the excursion equipment caused them to fall rapidly toward the water. Tragically, the mother did not survive, and her daughter was left with a traumatic brain injury. The case was resolved with a combined settlement of $7.25 million for the families.
In another cruise ship excursion case, Leesfield & Partners recovered nearly $3 million for the tragic death of our client’s adult son. In that case, the young man was traveling with his family and ventured out on a cruise-sanctioned bus excursion. When the bus was involved in a crash, our client’s son was ejected and suffered fatal injuries, a devastating loss for the family.
A rollover ATV crash on a shore excursion caused serious injuries to multiple passengers. Leesfield & Partners settled the case for over $1.2 million.
Partner Justin B. Shapiro represented a client who was severely injured while on an excursion with their cruise ship that resulted in a confidential recovery.
Our 68-year-old client sustained severe injuries, including a fractured femur, when thrown off a “banana boat” during a cruise’s water sport excursion. The firm secured a $600,000 settlement in that case.
If you were involved in a cruise ship accident, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 305-854-4900 to see if you may be eligible for compensation.