Areas We Serve
Criminal Defense and Car Accident Lawyer for Homestead
Homestead is the southern anchor of Miami-Dade, with its own police and a courthouse in the county's south end. Here is who responds, where the court sits and how to get downtown when a case calls you north.
Homestead is an incorporated city that touches Florida City to its south and west; Leisure City, Naranja and Redland are nearby unincorporated communities, and mailing addresses do not always match city limits. See also Florida City and Perrine.
Our office is at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250, University Park / Westchester. We represent clients arrested or injured in Homestead.
Criminal defense in Homestead
The City of Homestead operates its own police department at 45 NW 1st Avenue, and an arrest inside city limits usually begins with those officers. On US 1, the Turnpike or other roads, a different agency can make the stop. The arrest report names the agency, so keep a copy.
We represent people charged in Homestead with DUI, drug possession and trafficking allegations, domestic violence, theft, weapons offenses and driving without a valid license, as well as serious felonies. Spanish is common in daily life here, and we work in it fluently. Tell us what happened in the language you think in.
Jurors in Miami-Dade state court report to one of two courthouses: civil jurors to the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, 20 NW 1st Avenue, and criminal jurors to the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12th Street. Jury trials are held at those two buildings. The branch courthouses hold hearings and bench (non-jury) trials.
Closest branch courthouse
The closest branch courthouse to Homestead is the South Dade Justice Center. Details are below. Courts move calendars, so confirm before you go.
South Dade Justice Center
10710 S.W. 211 Street, Miami, Florida 33189
Court Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Parking: Free parking for Courthouse at the rear of Government Complex. Look for red-trimmed entrance.
Getting to the main courthouses
Five main courthouses handle most Miami-Dade cases. Each card has the court’s address, a Google Maps link that starts from this place, and what the court itself publishes about transit and parking. Tolls apply on several routes.
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building (state criminal)
1351 N.W. 12th Street, Miami, Florida 33125
From Homestead, the court's directions from the south for the Gerstein Justice Building start on US-1 and head to I-95 North and exit 3A; the Turnpike and FL-874 route also appears on the court's page.
Transit: Miami-Dade Transportation & Public Works
Parking: Limited street meters and off-street lot parking
Civil courthouse (circuit and county civil, probate): Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center
20 N.W. 1st Avenue, Miami, Florida 33128
Court Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Civil cases (circuit and county civil) and probate are at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, 20 N.W. 1st Avenue, downtown, per the Clerk of Courts' location page. The court's own directions: from the north, I-95 South to the exit marked N.W. 8th Street; from the south, US 1 North to I-95 North and the N.W. 8th Street exit. Parking is limited, and the court suggests Metro Bus or Metrorail to Government Center.
Clerk’s office in this building: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Clerk lists Circuit Civil Court, County Court and Probate Court (Suite 6.223) here.
Transit: Metro Bus or Metrorail to Government Center station (court's parking note)
Parking: Limited street and off-street parking. Best bet is taking Metro Bus or the Metrorail and exiting at Government Center station.
Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse (federal)
400 North Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33128
The Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse is at 400 N Miami Ave in downtown Miami; a rider can take the Metro Express link to Dadeland South, then Metrorail to Government Center and the Metromover to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Station, as the federal court describes.
Transit: Metrorail riders: Exit Metrorail Station, Government Center. Take the Inner Loop Metromover to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Station (first stop).
Parking: There are public parking lots (fees charged) within walking distance for all locations.
C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse (federal)
301 North Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33128
The C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse is at 301 N Miami Ave, across the street from the Ferguson building, with paid lots within walking distance.
Transit: Metrorail riders: Exit Metrorail Station, Government Center. Take the Inner Loop Metromover to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Station (first stop).
Parking: There are public parking lots (fees charged) within walking distance for all locations.
James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building (federal)
99 N.E. Fourth Street, Miami, FL 33132
The James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building is at 99 N.E. Fourth Street; confirm the building named on your notice.
Transit: Metrorail riders: Exit Metrorail Station, Government Center. Take the Inner Loop Metromover to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Station (first stop).
Parking: There are public parking lots (fees charged) within walking distance for all locations.
Miami-Dade courthouse guide: locations, hours and holidays
Police in Homestead
Homestead has its own police department:
For an emergency, call 911.
Nearby emergency services
In an emergency, call 911.
These are the closest to the center of Homestead, measured in a straight line, as listed by official sources on October 27, 2026.
Fire station: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 66 (Village of Homestead)
3100 SE 8 Street, Homestead, FL 33033
Emergency room: Homestead Hospital ER (Baptist Health)
975 Baptist Way, Homestead, FL 33033
Open 24 hours.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 16 (Homestead/Florida City)
255 NW 4th Avenue, Homestead, FL 33030
Urgent care: MD Now Urgent Care - Homestead
792 S. Homestead Blvd, Homestead, FL 33030
Listed for convenience, not as a ranking or a recommendation. Confirm hours and phone numbers before you go.
Your County Commissioner
This place spans more than one County Commission district. Which one applies depends on the exact address. County Commission page: district maps and offices
District 8: Danielle Cohen Higgins
Share of this place in the district: 64.9%
South Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211 Street, Suite 103, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
District 9: Kionne L. McGhee
Share of this place in the district: 35.1%
South Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211 Street, Suite 204, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
This is correct as of November 1, 2026.
Hurricane and flood readiness
In an emergency, call 911.
Parts of Homestead fall in storm surge planning Zones B, C, D. Check your exact address. County storm surge zone map · Know Your Zone
Flood zones vary property by property. Look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and the county's flood zone map.
Nearby official evacuation routes: Florida's Turnpike, Krome Avenue (SW 177th Avenue), US 1 (South Dixie Highway), Homestead Boulevard. Follow official orders and road closures. The county route data was last updated in 2018 and the state map is undated. State evacuation route and zone map (PDF)
Evacuation centers and shelters
The county decides which centers open, and which accept pets, only when an evacuation is ordered, and not every center opens for every storm. Check official announcements, or call 311, before you go. Open evacuation centers map · County hurricane information
Also: the FEMA App, or text SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362. Storm forecasts come from the NOAA National Hurricane Center (storm information, not shelters). County emergency information: 311 in Miami-Dade, 305-468-5900 from outside the county, or 711 for Florida Relay. National Hurricane Center
History
Homestead takes its name from the railroad. When the Florida East Coast Railway extension to Key West was being built, the line ran through land opened for homesteading, and since the construction camp at the end of the line had no name, supplies for the workers were consigned to Homestead Country. The engineers who mapped the area shortened it to Homestead.
Homestead was incorporated in 1913 and is the second oldest city in Miami-Dade County after Miami. It lies roughly 35 miles southwest of Miami, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west, and it has long been a major farming area.
Homestead and nearby South Miami-Dade communities took the brunt of Category 5 Hurricane Andrew on August 24, 1992, which devastated the town and nearby Homestead Air Force Base. Homestead–Miami Speedway, a motor racetrack, was built in the years after the storm, and the old air base remains in use as Homestead Air Reserve Base.
The first 24 hours after an arrest
Any arrested person must appear before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest, in person or by audio-video technology, unless they were already released lawfully. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.130(a). At first appearance the judge reads the charge and takes up release.
Homestead Police lists 305-247-1535 on the city's directory page. Our inmate search page also shows the county jail roster. Keep the legal name and date of birth with you when you call.
Your first hours
- Keep calm, speak little, and state plainly that you want a lawyer.
- Say no to searches of your phone or vehicle, and sign no written statement.
- Record the officers, the time and the location the moment you can.
- Family: find out where the person is held and then call us, whatever the hour.
- A person who is not a citizen should raise that with the lawyer before any plea offer is entertained.
Where your case is heard
The closest branch courthouse on the court's list is the South Dade Justice Center, 10710 S.W. 211 Street, Miami, Florida 33189, in the southeast corner of the Government Complex. Court hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The court says parking is free at the rear of the complex.
For drivers coming north from Homestead, the court's own directions are US 1 North to S.W. 211th Street, or the Florida Turnpike to Exit 11 (Cutler Ridge Blvd.-SW 216th St.), then about one block to S.W. 107 Avenue. The court lists the South Dade Justice Center as one of its County Criminal locations, for misdemeanor and criminal traffic cases, but a case can be set at any county court location, so go by your paperwork. Felony cases are heard by the Circuit Criminal Division, whose judges sit at the Gerstein Justice Building downtown.
South Dade Justice Center (court guide)
Car accidents in Homestead
A wreck in Homestead might be handled by the city police, the Sheriff's Office or the highway authority, depending on the road. Ask for the report number and the agency name.
Homestead Hospital's ER, 975 Baptist Way, lists 24-hour care, and MD Now Urgent Care at 792 S. Homestead Blvd. is the walk-in clinic listed below. Photograph the vehicles, the road and your injuries, and send insurance adjusters to us instead of giving a recorded statement.
We handle injury claims for people hurt in Homestead crashes, including commercial trucks, and head and brain injuries.
Local roads and landmarks
Homestead sits where the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike meets US 1, and the city lies close to Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Miami-Dade Transit also reports a Metro Express bus rapid transit link from Homestead to Dadeland South.
Fire coverage comes from the county. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lists Village of Homestead - Station 66 at 3100 SE 8 Street and Homestead/Florida City - Station 16 at 255 NW 4th Avenue.
Getting to us
Our one office is in University Park / Westchester, at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250, a long drive north of Homestead. We do not keep a Homestead office and we do not publish drive times.
That distance is why phone and WhatsApp matter. Reach us in English or Spanish at any hour, and for arrests we often start with the family and meet at the courthouse.
Questions people ask about Homestead
- Does Homestead have its own police department?
- Yes, at 45 NW 1st Avenue. The city's directory lists 305-247-1535. On some roads another agency may respond.
- Where is the nearest courthouse to Homestead?
- The South Dade Justice Center, 10710 S.W. 211 Street. Felonies are heard downtown at the Gerstein Justice Building. Your paperwork shows the location of your hearing.
- How do I get from Homestead to the downtown courts?
- The court's directions from the south use US-1 to I-95 North for the Gerstein building. Miami-Dade Transit lists a Metro Express link from Homestead to Dadeland South.
- Where is the closest ER?
- Homestead Hospital ER, 975 Baptist Way, 786-243-8000, lists 24-hour care. Call 911 in an emergency.
- Is Homestead the same as Florida City?
- No. They are separate cities that touch. Homestead is north and east of Florida City. See our Florida City page too.
- Do you have an office in Homestead?
- No. We have one office, in University Park / Westchester, and we represent clients arrested or injured in Homestead.
Where to go next
Our work
- DUI defense
- Domestic violence charges
- Theft charges
- Personal injury and car accidents
- Traumatic brain injury
Local guides
- Arrest and court process
- Find someone in jail
- Florida DUI arrest: the 10-day license deadline
- Miami-Dade arrest trends