Areas We Serve
Criminal Defense and Car Accident Lawyer for Pinecrest
Pinecrest is a quiet village with its own police department and a surprising past. If a night in this part of Miami-Dade goes wrong, here is who responds, where the court is and where to get treated.
Pinecrest is an incorporated village that was carved out of the Kendall census area in 1996, so mailing addresses that say Kendall or Miami can be inside or outside the village; South Miami and Palmetto Bay lie on either side. See also Kendall, South Miami and Palmetto Bay.
Our office is at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250, University Park / Westchester. We represent clients arrested or injured in Pinecrest.
Criminal defense in Pinecrest
The Village of Pinecrest keeps its own police department at the Municipal Center, 12645 Pinecrest Parkway. Most arrests inside village limits begin with those officers. On US 1 or the roads that cross the village line, though, another agency can make the stop, and the report will say which.
People in Pinecrest hire us after DUI arrests, drug and prescription-pill charges, domestic disputes, theft allegations and traffic crimes, and sometimes after serious felony accusations. A first arrest can feel unreal in a neighborhood like this. We explain each step plainly, in English or Spanish, so the family knows what happens next.
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 Pinecrest is the Coral Gables Branch Courthouse. Details are below. Courts move calendars, so confirm before you go.
Coral Gables Branch Courthouse
3100 Ponce de Leon, Coral Gables, Florida 33134
Court Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Parking: Free parking in lot at building.
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
A driver from Pinecrest would start on US 1; the court's directions from the south send US-1 traffic onto I-95 North and exit 3A for the Gerstein Justice Building.
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, with fee-charging public lots within walking distance, per the federal court.
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 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; read your notice to see which federal building applies.
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 Pinecrest
Pinecrest 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 Pinecrest, measured in a straight line, as listed by official sources on October 27, 2026.
Fire station: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 23 (Suniland)
7825 SW 104th Street, Miami, FL 33156
Emergency room: Baptist Hospital ER (Kendall)
8900 North Kendall Dr., Miami, FL 33176
Open 24 hours.
Urgent care: Urgent Care | Pinecrest (Baptist Health)
11805 South Dixie Hwy., Miami, FL 33156
Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 49 (Pinecrest)
10850 SW 57th Avenue, Pinecrest, FL 33156
Emergency room: South Miami Hospital ER (Baptist Health)
6200 SW 73 St., South Miami, FL 33143
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 7: Raquel A. Regalado
3750 S. Dixie Hwy, Suite 201, Miami, FL 33133
This is correct as of November 1, 2026.
Hurricane and flood readiness
In an emergency, call 911.
Parts of Pinecrest fall in storm surge planning Zones A, 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), Kendall Drive (SW 88th Street), Snapper Creek Expressway (SR 878), Palmetto Expressway (SR 826). 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
Before it was a village, the land around US 1 and Southwest 102 Street was used by Henry Flagler in the 1900s as a staging area while the Overseas Railroad to the Florida Keys was built. The community's identity took shape in the 1930s around Parrot Jungle and Gardens, founded in 1936 by Franz and Louise Scherr at Red Road and Southwest 111 Street. It opened on December 20, 1936, charging 25 cents to hear Scherr talk about his birds, trees and flowers, and later drew visitors including Sir Winston Churchill.
The 1950s and 1960s brought ranch-style houses on one-acre lots, which set the neighborhood's leafy, spread-out look. The Miami Serpentarium, another roadside attraction, stood on US 1 until the mid-1980s. In August 1992 Hurricane Andrew severely damaged Pinecrest and the surrounding South Dade area, and the neighborhood was rebuilt slowly.
Rapid growth and local issues in the 1990s led residents to push for incorporation, and the Village of Pinecrest was officially incorporated on March 12, 1996. In December 2002 the Village bought the old Parrot Jungle site, and Pinecrest Gardens opened to the public as a municipal park in March 2003.
The first 24 hours after an arrest
An arrested person has to be brought before a judge within 24 hours, in the courtroom or by video, unless they were released lawfully in the meantime. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.130(a). At that hearing the court states the charges and looks at release conditions.
Pinecrest Police lists a main line, 305.234.2100, on its village page, along with a records number. Our inmate search can also show whether the county jail has the person. Gather the legal name and date of birth first.
Do these first
- Keep it short and respectful: name only, then a request for counsel.
- Refuse to sign any waiver or unwritten-statement paperwork until you have advice.
- Make notes about the officers, the vehicle and who else saw it.
- Relatives should find the person's location and then reach us night or day.
- A non-citizen should alert the lawyer first, because even a small plea can matter for immigration.
Where your case is heard
The closest branch courthouse on the court's list is the Coral Gables Branch Courthouse, 3100 Ponce de Leon, Coral Gables, Florida 33134. The court gives hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and calls the lot at the building free. The South Dade Justice Center, 10710 S.W. 211 Street, is also a branch location in the south end of the county.
The court lists the Coral Gables Branch Court 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.
Coral Gables Branch Courthouse (court guide)
Car accidents in Pinecrest
A crash on Pinecrest Parkway, Kendall Drive or US 1 can involve the village police or another agency. Before you leave the scene, ask for the report number and the name of the agency.
Baptist Hospital's ER on North Kendall Drive and South Miami Hospital's ER on SW 73 Street are both listed as open around the clock, and Baptist Health's Pinecrest Urgent Care sits on South Dixie Highway (see below). Document the damage, the lighting and your injuries, and hold back from giving any insurer a recorded statement.
We help people hurt in Pinecrest collisions, including drivers struck by someone in a company vehicle, and we handle head and brain injury claims.
Local roads and landmarks
US 1, South Dixie Highway, is the main commercial strip along the village's edge, and Baptist Health's urgent care at 11805 South Dixie Hwy. is the quickest walk-in option listed here.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lists Station 49 as Pinecrest, at 10850 SW 57th Avenue. The Pinecrest Municipal Center on Pinecrest Parkway is the other address worth saving.
Getting to us
We keep one office, in University Park / Westchester, at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250. We have no Pinecrest office, and we do not post drive times because traffic on US 1 changes them hour by hour.
Reach us by phone or WhatsApp, day or night, in either language. We often begin an arrest case with the relatives on the phone before we ever meet.
Questions people ask about Pinecrest
- Does Pinecrest have its own police department?
- Yes. The Village lists Pinecrest Police at 12645 Pinecrest Parkway, main line 305.234.2100. Other agencies can respond on some roads.
- Is Pinecrest a city or a village?
- Pinecrest is a village, incorporated on March 12, 1996.
- Where is the closest courthouse?
- The Coral Gables Branch Courthouse is the closest branch on the court's list. Felony cases are heard at the Gerstein Justice Building. Your paperwork names the location of your hearing.
- What ER and urgent care are near Pinecrest?
- Baptist Hospital ER (8900 North Kendall Dr.) and South Miami Hospital ER (6200 SW 73 St.) list 24-hour emergency care. Baptist Health Urgent Care Pinecrest is at 11805 South Dixie Hwy. Call 911 for emergencies.
- Which fire station covers Pinecrest?
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's county station list shows Pinecrest - Station 49 at 10850 SW 57th Avenue.
- Do you have an office in Pinecrest?
- No. We have one office, in University Park / Westchester, and we represent clients arrested or injured in Pinecrest.
Where to go next
Our work
- DUI defense
- Domestic violence charges
- Theft charges
- Immigration consequences of a plea
- Traumatic brain injury