St. Petersburg’s strategic location on Florida’s Gulf Coast and its booming downtown have made it a hotspot for startups and expanding companies. If you’re working in St. Petersburg, you already know how much this city is growing. More businesses, more workers, and naturally, more legal questions.
At Lopez Law Group, we’ve been right in the middle of this growth. We live here, we work here, and we understand how workplace issues actually play out here in St. Pete. When an employee gets fired unfairly, or an employer is confused about non-compete agreements, our team handles these cases with the kind of care and focus you’d expect from someone who’s part of the same community.
If you’re looking for help navigating work-related issues in this area, St. Petersburg employment lawyers at Lopez Law Group are the people you call when things at your job stop making sense and start feeling wrong. Below, we’ll walk through the types of cases we take on every day and explain exactly how we help.
Wage and Hour Disputes
Employers might “accidentally” misclassify workers as independent contractors, avoid paying overtime, or dock pay for breaks that aren’t really breaks. A lot of workers don’t even realize their paychecks are wrong.
If you’re working off the clock or not being paid what you’re owed, Florida law gives you a way to fight back. At Lopez Law Group, we dig through the timecards, emails, and pay records to find where things went wrong.
We also handle cases where workers didn’t even know they were eligible for overtime because employers didn’t explain the difference between exempt and non-exempt positions.
Wrongful Termination
Florida is an at-will state, which means your boss can fire you at any time for nearly any reason. But that doesn’t mean every reason is legal. If you were fired because of your age, your religion, your disability, or because you spoke up about something illegal, you might have a wrongful termination case.
This is one of the most misunderstood areas of employment law, and we get why. The rules sound simple on paper, but in real life, they’re not. That’s why we take the time to look at your entire employment history, not just your last day. We ask: Were there complaints? Were there warnings? What’s in your file? What do your coworkers know?
We help you figure out whether you were fired unfairly, and more importantly, whether it was illegal.
Retaliation and Whistleblower Claims
You do the right thing. You report harassment or point out something shady happening at work. And instead of fixing it, your employer punishes you, maybe by cutting your hours, freezing you out, or just firing you altogether. That’s retaliation. And it’s illegal.
Whistleblower cases are serious, and we treat them that way. If you’ve reported something that affects the public, like fraud against the government or safety issues, we also walk you through your options under the False Claims Act or the Florida Whistleblower Act. In some cases, you could even be entitled to a financial reward.
Contract and Non-Compete Issues
If you signed a contract or non-compete agreement in St. Petersburg, don’t assume it’s airtight. Florida does allow non-competes, but they have to meet specific rules. They can’t last forever. They can’t cover areas that make it impossible for you to get another job. And they have to protect a real business interest, not just your employer’s ego.
We help you figure out what’s enforceable and what’s not. Whether you’re leaving a job or starting a new one, we explain exactly what those contract terms mean for your career. And if you’re being sued over a non-compete, we fight to protect your right to work.
When to Call Us
There’s no such thing as a small workplace issue if it’s affecting your mental health, your income, or your safety.
The Lopez Law Group exists to protect the people who keep St. Pete running. Whether it’s about unpaid wages, discrimination, or confusing contract terms, we’re here to explain your rights and help you move forward.