Miami Private InvestigationsCoral Gables counted 49,248 residents in the 2020 Census, a small city inside a county of 2,701,767. That scale shapes how cases unfold here. A Gables divorce, partnership fight or disputed claim is filed in the Miami-Dade courts, searched in the Miami-Dade Clerk's records, and argued under Florida statutes, so the investigator you hire should know that system as well as the streets.
Miami Private Investigations is a licensed Florida agency (FDACS A1800135), veteran-led and bilingual. This page explains the matters Gables clients bring to us, the local courts behind them, the nearby communities we cover and the legal lines every Florida investigator has to respect.
Why people in Coral Gables hire a private investigator
Family law, divorce and time-sharing
Florida divorce is no-fault: a marriage is dissolved because it is "irretrievably broken" (s. 61.052), not because someone proved an affair. Conduct still counts in three places. A judge "may consider the adultery of either spouse and any resulting economic impact" when setting alimony (s. 61.08). Money spent on a paramour or moved out of reach within two years before filing can justify an unequal split of marital assets (s. 61.075(1)(i)). And while time-sharing starts from a presumption of equal time, that presumption can be rebutted with evidence tied to the best-interest factors, including moral fitness and a home free from substance abuse (s. 61.13). Our infidelity investigations and child custody investigations are built around those specific questions, not around a vague "catch them" goal.
Business disputes and pre-deal checks
Before signing with a new partner, investor or vendor, a Gables business owner often wants to know what the public record already says: prior lawsuits, liens, judgments and related companies. After a deal goes wrong, the question becomes where the money went. Our corporate due diligence and asset checks start with those records and add fieldwork only where it answers something the paper trail cannot.
Insurance and injury claims
When a claimant's reported limitations don't match what neighbors or coworkers describe, carriers and defense counsel ask for documented activity checks. We plan surveillance from public vantage points, log times and locations, and keep the footage continuous so the context is clear.
Background checks on people you are about to trust
A tenant, a caregiver, a new hire or someone met online: background investigations confirm identity and history before you commit. We use data sources lawfully. Driver and vehicle records, for example, are released only for purposes the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act allows (18 U.S.C. § 2721), and a licensed agency gets no broader access than that purpose.
The courts and clerk behind a Coral Gables case
Coral Gables is part of the 11th Judicial Circuit, which covers all of Miami-Dade County. The circuit's courthouse list includes a Coral Gables Branch Courthouse at 3100 Ponce de Leon, Coral Gables, FL 33134, on the same boulevard as our office. Which building hears a given matter depends on the case type, so rely on your notice or your attorney rather than assuming the nearest one.
The county's main civil building changed recently. The Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center at 20 N.W. 1st Avenue held its ribbon cutting on November 10, 2025, and Miami-Dade County says it "replaces the historic Miami-Dade County Courthouse, which has served the community since 1928" (county release). The Clerk lists Circuit and County Court, Civil Jury, Probate and Foreclosure among its services there (Clerk location page). If older paperwork sends you to 73 W. Flagler, check the current location first.
Records come from the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, which offers an online civil, family and probate case search and an official records search for recorded deeds, liens and mortgages. We review the docket and recorded documents before any fieldwork, so surveillance hours are spent on what is actually disputed.
What that means for evidence and testimony
Under the Florida Evidence Code, a photo or video must be authenticated before it is admitted (s. 90.901). In practice, the person who recorded it explains how, when and where. That is why our reports name the observing investigator, keep timestamps unbroken and record every vantage point. A subject's own statements, seen or heard lawfully, can be offered against that party as admissions (s. 90.803(18)(a)). A conversation recorded without everyone's consent is barred outright, along with anything derived from it (s. 934.06). Attorneys can read more on our litigation support for attorneys page and in attorney testimonials.
Neighborhoods and nearby communities we cover
Our office is in Coral Gables. Our investigators work cases throughout Miami-Dade, and most Gables matters spill across a city line at some point. The communities around us, with their 2020 Census counts:
- South Miami (12,026), its own incorporated city, not a Miami neighborhood.
- Coconut Grove, a neighborhood within the City of Miami, next door to the Gables.
- Pinecrest (18,388), incorporated as a village.
- Westchester (56,384), plus Coral Terrace (23,142), Glenvar Heights (20,786) and West Miami (7,233), the unincorporated and small-city communities along our western edge.
- Miami (442,241), where the Soto Justice Center sits.
The University of Miami area. The university's main campus is in Coral Gables: 239 acres about seven miles from downtown Miami, housing about 4,000 resident students (UM campuses). Parents and landlords near campus sometimes ask us to verify a roommate, a tenant or someone a student has met.
Parts of Coral Gables sit behind private roads or guard gates. We do not enter them without permission. Florida trespass law covers structures and vehicles (s. 810.08) and posted or fenced land (s. 810.09), so we plan around lawful public vantage points and the subject's own movements.
How an investigation works
- A confidential first conversation. Call (305) 686-7826 or write to admin@miamiprivateinvestigations.com. Tell us what happened and what decision you need to make. Florida law treats unauthorized release of what you share as grounds for discipline against the licensee (s. 493.6118(1)(e)).
- Records before fieldwork. We check the Clerk's dockets, official records and other lawful sources so the plan targets the gaps.
- A written scope. You approve what we will do, for how long and what the goal is, before work starts.
- Lawful fieldwork. Surveillance, interviews and records work, documented as it happens.
- A report built for use. Timestamped photos and video, a narrative log and findings your attorney can take into a deposition, a mediation or a hearing.
What Florida PIs can and can't legally do
Chapter 493 defines private investigation to include learning a person's "habits, conduct, movements, whereabouts," testing the credibility of witnesses, and "securing evidence" for use in trials (s. 493.6101). The limits matter just as much:
- No secret recordings. Florida requires every party's consent to record a private conversation; violating it is a third-degree felony (s. 934.03).
- No GPS trackers on someone else's car. A PI has no general exception, and filing for divorce is presumed to revoke a spouse's consent to tracking (s. 934.425).
- No posing as police, whether by badge, uniform or false credentials (s. 493.6118(1)(i)).
- No lying to a bank to obtain someone's account information (15 U.S.C. § 6821).
Read the full summary on our Florida Statute 493 guide.
Investigation services for Coral Gables clients
Evidence aimed at alimony and asset questions, not just suspicion.
Public-vantage documentation with continuous timestamps.
Identity and history checks on tenants, staff and partners.
Property, liens and business interests for divorce and judgments.
Litigation and record history before a deal closes.
Facts tied to Florida's best-interest factors.
Witness locates, interviews and testimony-ready reports.
Activity checks for carriers and defense counsel.