As a Palm Beach shopping center fall lawyer I know malls are great places to escape the sun and heat. The malls in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach are some of the largest in the country; hosting hundreds of thousands of consumers every year. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, Florida has over ten-thousand shopping centers employing nearly one million people generating nearly 200 billion dollars in revenue every year.
When one goes to a Florida shopping mall, they expect to be both safe and secure. However, if a shopping mall does not perform its responsibilities appropriately people can and do get hurt.
Our Florida shopping center accident attorneys have more than 40 years of combined experience suing shopping malls across the State. Slip and fall accidents in shopping malls are commonly called premises liability actions. Shopping malls like apartment buildings typically have large public spaces called common areas. It is the responsibility of shopping center property and maintenance managers to keep these areas clean, inspected and maintained.
When someone when gets hurt at a Palm Beach shopping mall, it is inevitably due to faulty maintenance issues or wet and slippery floors around entrance and exit doors. A shopping center fall on a wet floor or a rain soaked doormat can lead to a serious injury such as a broken bone, head injury and torn muscles and tendons.
Ironically, the proliferation of shopping malls across Florida and the rest of the United States is in a steep decline. There are now so many dying or dead shopping malls and big box retail spaces that dedicated internet sites such as DeadMalls.com have begun tracking mall closures across the country. The closures are due in part to the declining economy, changing demographics and internet buying habits.
For instance, Bal Harbour Shoppes once contained arguably the most elegant collection of retailers under one roof in the world. Luxury brands Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Dior have all left Bal Harbour and are now moving to Miami’s Design District. The Design District is an urban shopping and restaurant area in Miami’s midtown. This mass exodus will undoubtedly change the buying experience for clients of these brands. It also will place additional requirements for these retailers to revise security protocols to keep customers safe and secure.
