Martin County Negligent Security Lawyer | Juan Cordero Lawyers

If you or your family has been a victim of a violent crime — a shooting, stabbing, burn, or assault — while at a shopping center, hotel, gated community, nightclub, bar, restaurant, apartment complex, gas station, convenience store, or parking lot in Martin County, you may have a legal claim against the property owner.

Many of these injuries could have been prevented with appropriate security measures. At Juan Cordero Lawyers, we fight for crime victims throughout Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Hobe Sound, and the Treasure Coast.

Negligent security is a form of premises liability. Property owners and businesses have a legal duty to provide reasonable security for people on their property. When they fail to do so — and a foreseeable crime results in injury — they can be held legally responsible.

Common security failures that lead to liability include:

• Inadequate lighting — dark parking lots, stairwells, and common areas that create opportunities for crime
• Broken or missing security cameras — failure to monitor or record criminal activity
• Unsecured perimeters — broken gates, fences, or access controls that allow unauthorized entry
• No security personnel — failure to hire guards in high-crime areas or at high-risk events
• Ignored prior incidents — property owners who knew about prior crimes but failed to act
• Broken locks and doors — hotel rooms, apartment units, and commercial spaces with defective security hardware

Our team at Juan Cordero Lawyers are Crime Victim Advocates certified by the Florida Attorney General's Office. We are also certified in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) — a specialized discipline that analyzes how the physical design of a property either prevents or enables crime.

When we evaluate a negligent security case, we conduct a full property analysis examining lighting, sightlines, access control, security staffing, camera coverage, and the property's crime history. This expertise is what separates our firm from general personal injury lawyers.

Our firm has worked on over $300 million in negligent security cases over 27 years of practice. Our landmark $28.9 million verdict — one of the largest negligent security verdicts in Florida history — demonstrates our ability to hold property owners accountable for the foreseeable crimes that occur on their premises.

Violent crimes that give rise to negligent security claims frequently occur at:

• Hotels and motels along US-1 and Federal Highway in Stuart
• Apartment complexes in Stuart, Jensen Beach, and Port St. Lucie
• Gas stations and convenience stores — particularly those in high-crime corridors
• Shopping centers and strip malls — inadequate lighting and no security patrols
• Bars and nightclubs — failure to screen patrons or provide adequate security staff
• Parking lots and garages — poor lighting, no cameras, and no security presence
• Gated communities — broken access controls and inadequate perimeter security

• Shootings and gunshot wounds
• Stabbings and knife attacks
• Robbery and aggravated assault
• Sexual assault and rape
• Carjacking in commercial parking areas
• Battery and physical assault

The key legal question is whether the crime was foreseeable — meaning the property owner knew or should have known that criminal activity was likely, given the location, prior incidents, and security conditions.

You can pursue a civil claim even if the criminal is never caught. The negligent security claim is against the property owner, not the perpetrator. You do not need a criminal conviction to recover civil damages.

Florida's statute of limitations for negligent security claims is generally two years from the date of the injury. Do not wait — evidence such as surveillance footage, security logs, and incident reports can be destroyed or overwritten quickly.

Victims of crimes on negligently secured properties may recover:

• Medical bills and future medical care
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and PTSD
• Permanent disability or disfigurement
• Wrongful death damages for surviving families

Attorney Juan J. Cordero is a Top 100 Trial Lawyer, U.S. Army combat veteran, and Adjunct Law Professor with 27 years of experience representing crime victims throughout Florida. Our CPTED certification and deep experience in negligent security litigation means we know exactly what to look for — and how to prove it in court.

We serve clients in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Hobe Sound, Port St. Lucie, and throughout Martin County and the Treasure Coast.

No fee unless we win. Free consultation 24/7. Se habla español.

📞 Martin County & Treasure Coast: 772-227-0577 📞 Miami-Dade: 305-525-8957