In a compelling legal battle, a Florida resident has taken action against a major supermarket chain, claiming negligence led to her severe injuries. Chantel Jelks filed the complaint in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, on February 11, 2025, against Publix Super Markets, Inc.

The lawsuit arises from an incident that occurred on May 6, 2024, when Chantel Jelks was shopping at Publix Store 1300 located at 1921 N Belcher Rd., Clearwater. According to the complaint, Jelks slipped and fell on a foreign liquid substance—specifically water—that was present on the floor of the store. The lawsuit asserts that this substance was non-obvious and constituted a hidden danger to invitees like Jelks. As an invitee on the premises, Jelks argues that Publix had several non-delegable duties towards her safety. These included inspecting common areas for unsafe conditions, maintaining public areas in a safe condition, and warning invitees of any known dangers.

Jelks accuses Publix of breaching its duty of care by failing to implement reasonable inspection policies for public areas and allowing them to remain unsafe. She further claims that Publix did not maintain the premises safely at the time of her fall and failed to warn her about the dangerous condition they knew or should have known existed. The complaint emphasizes that Publix either knew or should have known about this recurring hazardous condition due to its regular occurrence and foreseeability.