Miami Private InvestigationsMiami Beach became an official city on March 26, 1915. Its visitor page describes three neighborhoods, South Beach, Mid Beach and North Beach, linked by free citywide trolleys and by a Beachwalk that runs the length of the oceanfront (City of Miami Beach, Visit). The 2020 Census counted 82,890 residents (Census P.L. 94-171 file), a number that says little about how many people are actually on the island on a given weekend. The city says it holds more than 800 Art Deco properties built between 1923 and 1943 (City of Miami Beach, Art Deco), and its Art Deco district has been a National Register district since 1979.
Hotels, restaurants, older buildings and a constant flow of visitors: that is the setting for most Beach investigations. Miami Private Investigations is a licensed Florida agency (FDACS A1800135), veteran-led and fluent in English and Spanish. We work cases in Miami Beach from our Coral Gables office; we have no office on the Beach. This page covers what clients here tend to need, which courts and records apply, the surrounding towns, and where Florida law draws the line for investigators.
Why people hire an investigator in Miami Beach
Relationships, divorce and a city built for going out
Suspicions of an affair on the Beach usually play out in public places: hotel lobbies, restaurants, bars and the sidewalks between them. Our infidelity investigations document who meets whom, when and for how long, from places open to the public. Why that matters in court: Florida is a no-fault state (s. 61.052), but alimony can reflect adultery "and any resulting economic impact" (s. 61.08), and marital money wasted in the two years before filing can support an unequal split (s. 61.075(1)(i)). Hotel-room charges and gifts are often where that money trail starts.
Condominium, repair and contractor disputes
Florida now requires a milestone structural inspection for condominium and cooperative buildings of three habitable stories or more. The first one is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, and local officials may move that to 25 years for buildings near salt water; the association is responsible for compliance (s. 553.899). Inspections, special assessments and repair contracts can turn into disputes between owners, boards and vendors. We gather facts for those fights: who owns a contractor company, what liens and lawsuits appear in the public record, and whether the parties are who they say they are, through corporate due diligence and asset checks.
Injury and premises claims
Slip-and-fall, negligent-security and injury claims at hotels, restaurants and rental properties are part of a tourism economy. Insurers and defense firms use our claim investigation services for activity checks, scene documentation and witness locates, and plaintiffs' counsel use the same work to pin down what happened before memories fade.
People who were only passing through
A witness who stayed at a hotel and flew home, a tenant who left owing rent, someone met on vacation who now wants money: visitors leave quickly. Skip tracing finds where they went, and background investigations confirm whether a new partner, investor or roommate has the history they claim.
Miami Beach courts and the Miami-Dade Clerk
Miami Beach belongs to the 11th Judicial Circuit, which covers Miami-Dade County. The circuit's courthouse locations page lists a Miami Beach Branch Courthouse at 1130 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. When we checked it on September 29, 2026, the circuit marked that branch Temporarily Closed, so confirm the status before you go. The same list includes the North Dade Justice Center at 15555 Biscayne Blvd.
The county's main civil courthouse is the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, 20 N.W. 1st Avenue, across Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami. Miami-Dade County held its ribbon cutting on November 10, 2025, and says the tower "replaces the historic Miami-Dade County Courthouse, which has served the community since 1928" (county release). Probate, foreclosure, civil jury and circuit and county court services are listed on the Clerk's page for the building. Older notices that name 73 W. Flagler should be double-checked.
Case files and property records come through the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller. Its civil, family and probate search shows who has been in court, and its official records search shows recorded deeds, mortgages and liens on a condo unit or a hotel-area property. We start there, because a docket often tells us where fieldwork will pay off.
Footage, witnesses and the courtroom
Video from a hotel or a bar belongs to that business. We do not obtain it by pretext; your attorney can seek it through the case. Our own photos and video have to be authenticated before a court will admit them (s. 90.901), so each report names the investigator, the location and an unbroken timeline. What a subject says out loud in a public place, and is lawfully overheard, can come in against that person as an admission (s. 90.803(18)(a)). Details for lawyers are on our attorneys page, and clients' lawyers describe the work on our testimonials page.
Neighborhoods and nearby communities
Inside the city limits, cases tend to follow the three neighborhoods the city itself names: South Beach, home of the Art Deco district; Mid Beach; and North Beach, known for its Miami Modern (MiMo) architecture. Beyond the city line, the nearby communities and their 2020 Census counts are:
- North Bay Village (8,159), on the causeway islands in Biscayne Bay.
- Surfside (5,689), the town immediately north.
- Bal Harbour (3,093) and Bay Harbor Islands (5,922), a little further up the coast.
- Aventura (40,242), in the northeast corner of the county.
- Miami (442,241), across the bay, where the Soto Justice Center stands.
Much of the Beach is private: hotel floors, condo lobbies, pool decks, gated residential islands. Entering or staying in a structure without authorization is trespass (s. 810.08), and so is going onto posted or fenced land (s. 810.09). We plan surveillance around public streets, public beach access and spaces open to any customer.
How a Miami Beach case moves
- First contact. Phone (305) 686-7826 or email admin@miamiprivateinvestigations.com. Florida treats unauthorized release of client information as grounds for discipline against the licensee (s. 493.6118(1)(e)).
- Timing. Visitors leave and events end, so we ask early which dates matter.
- Paper first. Dockets, recorded documents and company filings narrow the question before anyone goes into the field.
- Agreed scope. You sign off on the plan, its duration and its objective.
- Documented results. Timestamped images, a written log and a findings summary built for a mediator, an adjuster or a judge.
What Florida investigators may not do
A licensed investigator may learn a person's "habits, conduct, movements, whereabouts" and secure evidence for trial (s. 493.6101). On the Beach, these limits come up most:
- No secret audio. A conversation at a table or in a room where people expect privacy is protected; recording it without all parties' consent is a third-degree felony (s. 934.03).
- No harassment. Florida's stalking law targets conduct that causes substantial emotional distress and "serves no legitimate purpose" (s. 784.048). Surveillance has to stay tied to a lawful purpose and stay discreet.
- No trackers in a divorce. Once a divorce petition is filed, a spouse's consent to tracking is presumed revoked, and investigators have no general exception (s. 934.425).
- No posing as police by badge, uniform or credentials (s. 493.6118(1)(i)).
More detail is in our guide to Florida Statute 493.
Services for Miami Beach clients
Public-place documentation tied to alimony and asset issues.
Discreet coverage planned around hotels and public streets.
Premises and injury claims at hotels and restaurants.
Verify a new partner, tenant or investor.
Recorded condo units, liens and company holdings.
Contractor and vendor ownership and litigation history.
Find a witness or debtor who has left town.
Locates, interviews and testimony-ready reports.