Florida Premises Liability: When Is a Property Owner Responsible for Your Injury?

Premises liability cases in Florida cover a broad range of accidents—slip and falls at grocery stores, injuries at apartment complexes, swimming pool accidents, inadequate security incidents, and more. Whether you can hold a property owner responsible for your injury depends largely on your legal status as a visitor when the accident occurred.

Florida law traditionally recognized three categories of visitors, each with different duties owed by the property owner. Invitees—people like shoppers, restaurant patrons, or hotel guests—are owed the highest duty of care. Owners must maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition, conduct regular inspections, and warn of known hazards. Licensees enter the property with permission but for their own purposes. Trespassers, who enter without permission, are generally owed only the duty not to willfully harm them.

In 2023, Florida eliminated the traditional invitee/licensee distinction in many premises liability contexts, requiring property owners to use reasonable care for all lawful visitors.

Documentation is vital in any premises liability case. If you are injured on someone else's property, report the accident to management, request a copy of any incident report, take photographs, and seek immediate medical attention.