Areas We Serve
Criminal Defense and Car Accident Lawyer for Sweetwater
Sweetwater is a small city of its own with its own police department. This page covers who the police are, where the closest courthouse branch is, and what the city's story looks like.
Sweetwater is its own city, separate from unincorporated Westchester and University Park to its east; Florida International University lies just to its south.
Our office is at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250, University Park / Westchester. We represent clients arrested or injured in Sweetwater.
Criminal defense in Sweetwater
Sweetwater has its own police department at 500 SW 109th Avenue, Sweetwater, FL 33174. The city's page lists 305-552-9900 as the main phone and says a front desk is staffed on most days, with longer hours Tuesday through Thursday. For an emergency, it says to call 911. A road that crosses the city may bring in a different agency, so check the arrest report.
Dolphin Mall became part of the city after a December 2010 vote. We defend people charged in Sweetwater with DUI, drug offenses, theft, fraud, battery and license charges, and we speak Spanish.
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 Sweetwater 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
From Sweetwater, drivers heading east on FL-836 can follow the court's alternate exit, N.W. 17th Avenue, to Gerstein at 1351 N.W. 12th Street; the court notes some roads carry tolls.
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, 400 North Miami Avenue, is where the federal court sends Metrorail riders via Government Center and the Inner Loop Metromover.
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 North Miami Avenue; the federal court says fee-charging public lots are 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, Miami, FL 33132.
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 Sweetwater
Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater, measured in a straight line, as listed by official sources on October 27, 2026.
Fire station: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 29 (Sweetwater)
351 SW 107th Avenue, Sweetwater, FL 33174
Emergency room: HCA Florida Kendall Hospital ER
11750 SW 40th St, Miami, FL 33175
Open 24 hours.
Urgent care: Baptist Health Urgent Care | Westchester
8840 Bird Rd., Ste. 100, Miami, FL 33165
Hours: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., seven days
Listed for convenience, not as a ranking or a recommendation. Confirm hours and phone numbers before you go.
Your County Commissioner
District 12: Juan Carlos "JC" Bermudez
8333 NW 53 Street, Suite 102, Doral, FL 33166
This is correct as of November 1, 2026.
Hurricane and flood readiness
In an emergency, call 911.
Parts of Sweetwater fall in storm surge planning Zone E. 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, Tamiami Trail (SW 8th Street), Dolphin Expressway (SR 836). 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
Sweetwater started as a land-boom plat. In the Florida land boom of the 1920s the Miami-Pittsburg Land Company bought the acreage and laid out the original plat, “Sweetwater Groves.” In 1938 Clyde Andrews acquired most of it and began to market lots to tourists and migrants.
The city incorporated in 1941. The city covers roughly 532 acres in western Miami-Dade County.
The 1970s changed everything. The establishment of Florida International University to the south, the construction of State Road 836 to the north and State Road 826 to the east, and a wave of Hispanic immigrants, including many Nicaraguan refugees, doubled the population in that decade. Sweetwater became known as a largely Nicaraguan community and is still called “Little Managua.”
Growth continued into this century, and after a December 2010 vote Dolphin Mall became part of the city. In 2004 the city began considering a partnership with FIU for a University City along the 109th Avenue corridor.
The first 24 hours after an arrest
Florida's first-appearance rule sets a 24-hour limit: an arrested person is brought before a judge in that window, in person or by audio-video, unless already lawfully released. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.130(a).
Sweetwater Police can be reached at 305-552-9900. You can also search the county jail on our inmate search page. Bring the legal name and date of birth.
If someone is arrested: the first day
- Name only. Then say the word lawyer, and stay quiet.
- Never sign a consent paper for a search or a statement.
- Write down the scene: officers, time, direction of travel, bystanders.
- Relatives: learn where the person is, then call. We answer day and night.
- If the person is not a U.S. citizen, the lawyer must know before any plea is weighed.
Where your case is heard
The closest branch court by map is the Coral Gables Branch Court, 3100 Ponce de Leon, Coral Gables, Florida 33134 (distance is our own estimate; confirm). Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the court says there is free parking at the building.
Felonies go to the Circuit Criminal Division at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 N.W. 12th Street, Miami, Florida 33125.
Coral Gables Branch Court (court guide)
Car accidents in Sweetwater
A crash on a Sweetwater street is usually worked by Sweetwater Police, and one on an expressway such as FL-836 or the Turnpike may be handled by another agency. Get the agency name and report number.
HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, 11750 SW 40th St, describes itself as a 24/7 acute care facility. Baptist Health Urgent Care | Westchester, 8840 Bird Rd., Ste. 100, is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and both are a drive from the city.
Sweetwater crash victims can bring us injury claims, from sprains to head and brain injuries. Speak with a lawyer before you give a recorded statement to anyone's insurance company.
Local roads and landmarks
A Miami-Dade transportation-planning community profile names Florida's Turnpike, Tamiami (US 41) and West Flagler Street as its major bordering roads. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 29, at 351 SW 107th Avenue, is in the city.
City Hall and the police department are both at 500 SW 109th Avenue, and Florida International University lies just to the south.
Getting to us
We do not have a Sweetwater office. Our one office is at 11401 SW 40 St, Suite 250, in University Park / Westchester. We do not publish a drive time because it swings with traffic.
Start by phone or WhatsApp in English or Spanish, any hour, and we can meet at the courthouse.
Questions people ask about Sweetwater
- Who are the police in Sweetwater?
- Sweetwater has its own police department at 500 SW 109th Avenue, 305-552-9900. On some roads another agency may arrest, and the report names it.
- Which fire department responds?
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 29 is at 351 SW 107th Avenue in Sweetwater. In an emergency, call 911.
- Why is it called Little Managua?
- Because of the large number of Nicaraguans who settled there in the 1970s and later. The city has been called that, after the Nicaraguan capital.
- Where is the closest courthouse branch?
- By map, the Coral Gables Branch Court at 3100 Ponce de Leon. Felonies are downtown at the Gerstein Justice Building.
- My relative was arrested in Sweetwater. What do I do first?
- Locate the person through Sweetwater Police or our jail search page, then call. Unless already released, a judge must see the person within 24 hours of arrest.
- Do you have an office in Sweetwater?
- Not in Sweetwater. Our single office is in University Park / Westchester, and we take Sweetwater arrests and crashes by phone or in person.
Where to go next
Our work
- DUI defense
- Drug charges
- Domestic violence charges
- Immigration consequences of a plea
- Personal injury and car accidents