
<PAGE>   1

                                  EXHIBIT 5.1




September 3, 1999



Windmere-Durable Holdings, Inc.
5980 Miami Lakes Drive
Miami Lakes, Florida  33014


         Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-8 for Windmere-Durable
                  Holdings, Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         On the date hereof, Windmere-Durable Holdings, Inc. a Florida
corporation (the "Company"), sent for filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the
"Registration Statement"), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Act"). The Registration Statement relates to the offering and sale by the
Company of up to 2,100,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock, par value $.10
per share (the "Common Stock"), pursuant to stock options ("Options") granted
or to be granted under the Company's 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended (the
"1998 Plan"). We have acted as counsel to the Company in connection with the
preparation and filing of the Registration Statement.

         In connection therewith, we have examined and relied upon the original
or a copy, certified to our satisfaction, of (i) the Articles of Incorporation
and Bylaws of the Company, as amended and restated; (ii) records of corporate
proceedings of the Company authorizing the 1998 Plan; (iii) the Registration
Statement and exhibits thereto; and (iv) such other documents and instruments
as we have deemed necessary for the expression of the opinions herein
contained. In making the foregoing examinations, we have assumed the
genuineness of all signatures and the authenticity of all documents submitted
to us as originals, and the conformity to original documents of all documents
submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies. As to various questions of
fact material to this opinion, we have relied, to the extent we deemed
reasonably appropriate, upon representations of officers or directors of the
Company and upon documents, records and instruments furnished to us by the
Company, without independently checking or verifying the accuracy of such
documents, records and instruments.

         Based upon the foregoing examination, we are of the opinion that the
Company presently has available approximately 12,000,000 shares of authorized
and unissued Common Stock from which the 2,100,000 shares of Common Stock
proposed to be sold pursuant to the exercise of Options granted under the 1998
Plan may be issued. In addition, assuming that the Company maintains an
adequate number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock available for
issuance to those persons who exercise their Options, and that the
consideration for the underlying shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the
Options is actually received by the Company as provided in the 1998 Plan, we
are of the opinion that the shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the
exercise of Options granted under and in accordance with the terms of the 1998
Plan will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not admit that we come
within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the
Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.



                                                 Very truly yours,

                                                 GREENBERG, TRAURIG P.A.



                                                 By: /s/ Paul Berkowitz
                                                     ---------------------------
                                                     Paul Berkowitz




