Tampa, FL — Hurricane Preparedness Week Focuses on Storm Safety

Tampa, FL (May 5th, 2025) – Sunday kicked off Florida’s Hurricane Preparedness Week, which runs through May 10th.

Hurricane season in Clearwater isn’t just a weather event. It’s a serious safety issue. From flying debris to building collapses, the aftermath can be dangerous. Efforts during the week focus on different public education topics each day to educate and prepare Floridians for the state’s upcoming storm season.

Common Hurricane-Related Injuries

After a hurricane moves through Clearwater, the physical risks don’t end when the winds die down. In fact, some of the most serious injuries happen during cleanup or when people return to unsafe environments. Whether you’re walking through a parking lot, entering a damaged building, or relying on a backup generator, the danger often comes from overlooked hurricane season safety hazards, many of them preventable.

Some of the most common hurricane-related injuries include:

Slip and Fall Accidents After the Storm

Storms leave behind puddles, mud, downed branches, and slippery tile floors in entryways. When businesses and property owners don’t clean up or warn people, serious injuries can result.

In Clearwater, these cases are common at:

• Grocery stores
• Hotels and resorts
• Apartment complexes
• Parking garages and lots

Under Florida premises liability law, property owners are expected to maintain safe conditions, even after a hurricane.

Injuries From Falling Objects or Debris

Improperly secured items like signs, tiles, tree limbs, and furniture can become dangerous projectiles during high winds. When a business or landlord knew something was a hazard and failed to secure it, they may be responsible for resulting injuries.

Unsafe Buildings or Structures

Building code violations and shoddy construction can come to light during a hurricane. If a balcony collapses, stairs give out, or windows shatter in an unsafe way, injured victims may have a claim.

Under Florida law, property owners and contractors have a legal duty to follow building codes and perform proper maintenance. Failure to do so could result in a negligence or product liability lawsuit.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning From Generators

After hurricanes, power outages are common. Many people turn to portable generators. However, using them indoors or too close to windows can cause fatal carbon monoxide exposure.

Liability could fall on landlords who provided or operated the generator improperly, product manufacturers who failed to include adequate warnings or instructions, or contractors who installed equipment incorrectly.

When Do Hurricane-Related Injuries Lead to Legal Liability?

Not every storm injury leads to a lawsuit. Hurricanes are acts of nature. However, that doesn’t give everyone a free pass. In Florida, people and businesses still have a legal duty to act reasonably, even during a storm.

When that duty is ignored, and someone gets hurt, the law may hold the responsible party liable.

Negligence in Hurricane Injury Cases

Most personal injury cases come down to one thing: negligence. In simple terms, negligence means someone failed to act with reasonable care, and that failure caused harm.

For example, during or after a hurricane, negligence might look like a landlord who didn’t repair known structural weaknesses before the storm, a store that failed to remove fallen debris from walkways after the hurricane passed, or a property manager who ignored tree limbs that later fell and caused injury. The key is whether the harm could have been prevented with reasonable care, even knowing a hurricane was likely.

Who Might Be Liable for Hurricane-Related Injuries in Clearwater?

Liability after a hurricane often depends on who had control over the hazard and whether they failed to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. It’s not always obvious. In many cases, more than one party may share responsibility, especially when property owners, businesses, or contractors cut corners before or after the storm.

Some of the parties most commonly involved in hurricane-liability claims include:

Property Owners and Landlords

If you were injured at a private home, apartment, or rental property, the owner or property manager may be liable, especially if they failed to fix a known issue or violated local codes.

In Clearwater, landlords are legally required to maintain safe living conditions, even during emergencies. This obligation may include steps such as:

• Removing known hazards
• Making timely repairs
• Warning tenants of unsafe areas

Businesses and Commercial Properties

Businesses owe a duty of care to customers, including during storm cleanup. If a store reopened but failed to secure broken glass or clean slippery floors, they could face a premises liability claim.

HOAs and Property Management Companies

Condo and homeowner associations can also be responsible, particularly when they manage common areas. Failing to secure pool furniture, roof tiles, or trees could open them up to claims.

Government Entities

Suing a city or county in Florida is harder, but not impossible. If you were injured due to negligence by a government agency (like Clearwater Public Works), there may be a claim under Florida’s sovereign immunity law, which allows lawsuits in limited situations. Such circumstances may include, for example:

• Negligent emergency response
• Unsafe road conditions that weren’t marked
• Poor maintenance of public walkways or stormwater systems

Utility Companies and Contractors

Sometimes the harm stems from utility issues, like a downed power line or transformer explosion. Liability could fall on the utility provider or a third-party contractor who failed to secure or maintain equipment properly.

Florida’s Dangerous Condition Doctrine: What It Means for Hurricane Injury Claims

In Florida, property owners are generally not liable for injuries from natural conditions. However, when the condition becomes dangerous due to human actions, like failing to clean up or warn about hazards, the legal picture may change.

Under these circumstances, the state’s dangerous condition doctrine often applies. For example, a tree falling in a storm is a natural event. However, if the same tree had been leaning dangerously for months and was never trimmed, it may be negligence.  

What If You Were Injured While Helping Others During a Storm?

Many people pitch in to help neighbors or volunteer after a storm. If you’re injured during that help, workers’ comp may not apply. However, you may still have a personal injury claim if someone else’s negligence caused the harm.

Florida’s Good Samaritan Law may shield people in some cases from liability if they were acting in good faith to help during an emergency.

Comparative Negligence in Florida Hurricane Injury Cases

Florida uses a modified comparative negligence rule. If you’re partly to blame for your injuries, your compensation can be reduced, but only if you were less than 50% responsible. If you were more than 50% at fault, you can’t recover damages.

A Clearwater personal injury lawyer can evaluate how this rule might affect your claim.

Our hurricane injury lawyers at Light & Wyatt Law Group have more than 30 years of experience helping Floridians like you to recover from the aftermath of storms, and pursuing compensation for injuries that could have been prevented. To learn more about your options in a free consultation, contact our law group today, 727-499-9900.

Jim Magazine

James (Jim) Magazine is a Florida Board Certified Civil Trial lawyer who has spent his career helping injured victims. Jim is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida since 1990 and is also admitted to practice at the Appellate level and admitted to the United States Supreme Court.

Years of Experience: More than 30 years
Florida Registration Status: Active
Bar Admissions:
Clearwater Bar Association
West Pasco Bar Association