Negligent Security Attorney Florida | Property Owner Liability for Crime | Richard Corey

What Is Negligent Security?

Negligent security is a form of premises liability that holds property owners and occupiers legally responsible when a violent crime occurs on their property as a result of inadequate security measures. Under Florida law, property owners owe a duty of reasonable care to persons on their premises — and that duty includes providing adequate security when crime is foreseeable.

When Is a Property Owner Liable for a Crime Committed on Their Property?

Florida courts look at several factors to determine whether a property owner is liable for a criminal attack under a negligent security theory. The key questions are: Was criminal activity foreseeable on or near this property? Were reasonable security measures in place to deter or prevent the foreseeable crime? Was the inadequate security a proximate cause of the victim's injuries?

Foreseeability is typically established through evidence of prior criminal incidents on or near the property, crime statistics for the area, and the nature of the property and its operations. A hotel in a high-crime area that has experienced multiple prior robberies is on notice that criminal activity is foreseeable — and has a duty to act accordingly.

Properties Where Negligent Security Claims Commonly Arise

Hotels and motels that fail to provide adequate lighting, functioning door locks, security personnel, or surveillance systems. Apartment complexes and residential communities with inadequate perimeter security, broken gates, or insufficient lighting in parking areas and common areas. Parking garages and lots without adequate lighting, surveillance, or security patrols. Bars, nightclubs, and entertainment venues where assaults and shootings occur due to inadequate security staffing and screening. Retail stores, shopping centers, and strip malls. Convenience stores and gas stations in high-crime areas. Schools and educational facilities.

What Damages Can You Recover in a Negligent Security Case?

Victims of violent crime resulting from negligent security may recover: medical expenses for physical injuries; mental health treatment costs for trauma and PTSD; lost income and diminished earning capacity; pain and suffering; permanent disability or disfigurement; and in cases of gross negligence, punitive damages. Families of victims killed in negligent security incidents may pursue wrongful death claims.

How Richard Corey Law Handles Negligent Security Cases

Negligent security cases require aggressive investigation, expert security analysis, and sophisticated litigation strategy. We work with leading premises security experts to establish the standard of care, document the property owner's knowledge of prior criminal activity, and build a compelling case for maximum recovery.

Contact a Florida Negligent Security Attorney

Contact The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC at 954-789-0461 or legal@rcenterpriselaw.com. Serving Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Miami, Palm Beach County, and all of Florida.

Click here to learn more about our Personal Injury services.