Areas We Serve
Criminal Defense and Car Accident Lawyer for Perrine
Perrine is an old South Dade community with a name more people use than any map line. This page tells you who responds there, which courthouse is nearest and where to go for care.
Perrine has no current city boundary: the old Perrine community was split into East Perrine, now part of Palmetto Bay, and West Perrine, and Cutler Bay lies to its south. See also Palmetto Bay, Homestead and Florida City.
Our office is at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250, University Park / Westchester. We represent clients arrested or injured in Perrine.
Criminal defense in Perrine
Perrine is not an incorporated city today. The closest Sheriff's district station to the area is the South District Station at 10800 SW 211th Street, a short distance from the South Dade Justice Center. Which agency made a given arrest depends on the exact block, so read the report.
We defend Perrine residents charged with DUI, drug possession, domestic violence, theft, weapons offenses and driving on a suspended license, together with serious felony charges. We speak Spanish and English with equal ease, and we make a point of explaining every court date before it arrives.
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 Perrine 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 Perrine, the court's directions from the south for the Gerstein Justice Building begin on US-1 and lead to I-95 North and exit 3A onto FL-836 West.
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, downtown; the federal court says nearby public lots charge a fee.
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, directly across from the Ferguson building.
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 in downtown Miami.
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 Perrine
Perrine is not a city. It is an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, policed by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
In the Perrine area, the closest station is:
Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, South Station
10800 SW 211th Street, Miami, FL 33189
Sheriff’s general line: 305-SHERIFF (305-743-7433)
The closest Sheriff’s district station to the center of the area, measured in a straight line. The district that patrols a given street can differ.
For an emergency, call 911.
Nearby emergency services
In an emergency, call 911.
These are the closest to the center of Perrine, measured in a straight line, as listed by official sources on October 27, 2026.
Fire station: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 50 (Perrine)
9798 E. Hibiscus Street, Palmetto Bay, FL 33157
Emergency room: HCA Florida Cutler Bay Emergency (freestanding emergency department)
19605 S Dixie Hwy, Cutler Bay, FL 33157
Open 24 hours.
Urgent care: UHealth Jackson Urgent Care | Cutler Bay
18910 South Dixie Highway, Cutler Bay, FL 33157
Emergency room: Baptist Health Emergency Care Palmetto Bay (freestanding ER)
8750 SW 144 St., Miami, FL 33176
Open 24 hours.
Listed for convenience, not as a ranking or a recommendation. Confirm hours and phone numbers before you go.
Your County Commissioner
District 9: Kionne L. McGhee
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 Perrine 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: US 1 (South Dixie Highway), Florida's Turnpike, Quail Roost Drive. 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
The community is named for Henry Perrine, who in 1839 received a township of land in this area from the United States Congress in recognition of his service as consul in Campeche, Mexico, and to support his plan to bring new tropical plants into cultivation in the United States. While waiting on Congress, Perrine and his family lived on Indian Key, then thought safer than the mainland during the Second Seminole War. On August 7, 1840, an attack on Indian Key killed several people, including Perrine; his family escaped.
Perrine's heirs struggled to use the grant. Homesteaders began to settle on it, and in 1886 farm families formed a squatters union to resist eviction. The courts divided the land: 2,000 acres to the squatters, 10,000 to the Perrine family, and 5,000 each to two railroad companies, including the Florida East Coast Railway.
The town itself began as a railroad camp as the Florida East Coast Railway extended from Miami to Homestead, and its first school opened in 1909. The community grew segregated, with the area east of the railroad white and the area west of it Black. Perrine incorporated as a city in 1948 and was later dissolved by the Florida Legislature.
The Census Bureau counted Perrine as a single place in 1990, then divided it in 2000 into East Perrine and West Perrine. East Perrine joined Palmetto Bay in 2002.
The first 24 hours after an arrest
An arrested person is entitled to see a judge within 24 hours, in person or by video, unless a lawful release came first. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.130(a). At this first appearance the charge is stated and the judge turns to release.
The South District Station lists 305-378-4300 on the Sheriff's website. You can also look the person up on our inmate search page. Have the full name and date of birth ready.
Quick guide for the first day
- Remain courteous, give only your name, and say you want a lawyer.
- Do not agree to a search of your phone or car, and do not sign anything unread.
- Write down what happened, with times, streets and who was present.
- Relatives should confirm where the person is held, then call our line.
- If immigration status is a concern, say so to the lawyer before any plea is discussed.
Where your case is heard
The South Dade Justice Center, 10710 S.W. 211 Street, Miami, Florida 33189, is the closest branch courthouse on the court's list. It sits in the southeast corner of the Government Complex. Court hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and parking is free at the rear of the complex, with a red-trimmed entrance to look for.
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 Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 N.W. 12th Street, Miami.
South Dade Justice Center (court guide)
Car accidents in Perrine
A crash along US 1 or a Perrine side street may be investigated by the Sheriff's Office or another agency. Before leaving, get the report number and agency name.
HCA Florida Cutler Bay Emergency, 19605 S Dixie Hwy, is listed as a 24/7 emergency room, and UHealth Jackson Urgent Care in Cutler Bay is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (details below). Photograph the damage and any injuries, and hold off on recorded statements to insurers.
We help people hurt in Perrine-area collisions, including head and brain injuries, and we act fast when a commercial driver is involved.
Local roads and landmarks
US 1, also called South Dixie Highway, is the backbone of this stretch: the HCA ER and the UHealth urgent care both sit on it in Cutler Bay.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lists Perrine - Station 50 at 9798 E. Hibiscus Street, in Palmetto Bay. That address is the closest county fire station listed to the Perrine name.
Getting to us
Our one office is in University Park / Westchester, at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250. We have no Perrine office and do not quote drive times, which depend on US 1 traffic.
You can start without driving anywhere: call or message us on WhatsApp, in Spanish or English, at any hour.
Questions people ask about Perrine
- Is Perrine a city?
- Not today. Perrine briefly incorporated in 1948 and was dissolved, and the Census Bureau later split it into East Perrine and West Perrine. East Perrine became part of Palmetto Bay in 2002.
- Which Sheriff's station is closest to Perrine?
- The South District Station, 10800 SW 211th Street, phone 305-378-4300, is the closest district station to the area. Confirm the agency for your address.
- Where is the nearest courthouse?
- The South Dade Justice Center, 10710 S.W. 211 Street. Felonies go downtown to the Gerstein Justice Building. Your paperwork shows your hearing location.
- Which ER should I go to?
- HCA Florida Cutler Bay Emergency, 19605 S Dixie Hwy, 786-776-5800, lists 24/7 care, and Baptist Health Emergency Care Palmetto Bay is at 8750 SW 144 St. Call 911 in an emergency.
- Is Perrine the same as Palmetto Bay?
- No, but they overlap in history. Part of old Perrine, East Perrine, now lies inside Palmetto Bay.
- Do you have an office in Perrine?
- No. We have one office, in University Park / Westchester, and we represent clients arrested or injured in Perrine.
Where to go next
Our work
- Drug charges
- Domestic violence charges
- Immigration consequences of a plea
- Personal injury and car accidents
- Traumatic brain injury