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Turning Connections into Opportunity

HOW ZERI ZAPATA’S GABLES-BASED 1-800-NO-FAULT GREW FROM A STARTUP TO A NATIONAL REFERRAL NETWORK

When Zeri Zapata arrived in Miami from Havana at age 10, he had no idea he would build a nationwide business. Years later, while studying political science at Florida International University, he took a job at a law firm investigating personal injury cases – a role that unexpectedly revealed the foundation for his future company.

Working inside the firm’s personal injury department, Zapata saw firsthand how confusing the legal process could be for people after a car accident. Clients often didn’t know where to start or how to navigate the paperwork and appointments that followed. “I was seeing the same questions asked over and over again,” Zapata recalls. “People just needed someone to guide them through the process.”

That realization led to the creation of what would become 1-800-No-Fault, a referral service that connects accident victims with attorneys and medical providers while helping them navigate the early stages of a case. Zapata first wanted to build the brand around the memorable phone number “1-800-No-Fault,” but the number was owned by a lawyer in New York who wasn’t interested in selling. Instead, Zapata leaned into Miami’s identity and launched 305-No-Fault, embracing the city’s area code. Rather than routing callers to distant call centers, Zapata wanted a team that understood Miami’s neighborhoods and communities. “We knew the difference between Kendall and Little Havana and Hialeah,” he says. Early marketing included radio promotions featuring DJ Khaled during his time as a host on 99 Jamz. But Zapata’s biggest breakthrough came with social media.

Long before influencer marketing became a staple of digital advertising, Zapata began recruiting people with strong social media networks to help promote the company. He hired individuals already active online – often nightlife promoters or well-connected locals. “They were basically acting as in-house influencers before that term even existed,” Zapata says.

Today, those marketers remain central to the company’s strategy, using their personal social media accounts to share content and connect people involved in accidents to the referral service. Over the past decade, that people-driven marketing model has fueled expansion. The company now operates offices in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, and Manhattan, while generating referrals in more than two dozen states.

When someone calls, the intake team gathers details about the accident and connects the caller with nearby doctors and vetted attorneys who specialize in that type of case. “Our job is to match the right client with the right lawyer,” Zapata says. The service is free for callers, while attorneys and medical providers pay a marketing fee to participate. Zapata says revenue has increased every year for the past decade as the company expands into new markets.

In 2024, the company moved its headquarters from Doral to a 28,000-square-foot office in Coral Gables across the street from The Plaza Coral Gables on Ponce de Leon Boulevard. The space now houses about 150 employees.

Even with steady growth, Zapata says the goal remains ambitious: building the largest personal injury referral service in the United States. “We want to plant our flag in every major city in the country,” he says.