Florida is famed for its innovative space center, abundant theme parks, and pristine beaches, but the Sunshine State also deserves recognition for its safety record. Overall, Florida has a lower property crime rate than its neighbors Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia—and reports of this type of crime have steadily declined for the last several years. With achievements like this, we’re especially proud to feature Florida in our safest cities lineup for the very first time this year.
According to the most recent FBI crime report, property crime is even less prevalent among the state’s twenty safest cities. Half of these cities cited fewer than 100 property crimes in 2015, and second-ranked Indian River Shores reported just fourteen. That’s remarkably few given that a property crime occurs about every four seconds in the United States.
We were also pleasantly surprised that 80% of the cities that made our list reported fewer than 50 burglaries. This is noteworthy considering many Florida residents only live in their homes part of the year—and unoccupied homes can be more susceptible to break-ins.
Florida’s top-twenty safest cities didn’t report much violent crime either. In fact, on average, these cities cited less than one violent crime per 1,000 people. All the cities on our list contributed to this stellar safety record, but Longboat Key—the safest city in Florida—earns added applause for reporting no violent crimes whatsoever.
There’s a misconception that larger cities aren’t as safe as smaller ones, which isn’t always the case, and Weston—the third-ranked city on our list—proves it. With more than 70,000 residents, this Broward County community reported just twenty-six violent crimes. Forward thinking initiatives like Weston’s Citizen Observer Patrol (COP) Program no doubt help keep crime under control. Dedicated COP volunteers patrol their communities looking for suspicious activity, checking on unoccupied homes, and reporting potential safety hazards.
Like all states, Florida has its dangerous places, but the cities on our list certainly aren’t included. The average crime rate among the southeasternmost state’s twenty safest locations was 65% lower than the national average—with a mere ten crimes reported per 1,000 people.
Review our list to find out if your hometown made the top twenty. Then refer to our National Safety Directory for crime prevention resources, home security tips, and general safety information.
How We Chose the Safest Cities in Florida
To identify the twenty safest cities in Florida, we reviewed the 2015 FBI crime report statistics and population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 3,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.
From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city.
1. Longboat Key
Violent Crimes per 1,000: o.oo
Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.05
2. Indian River Shores
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.24
Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.40
3. Weston
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.37
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.21
4. Parkland
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.24
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.36
5. Melbourne Beach
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.26
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.61
6. Marco Island
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.68
Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.68
7. Tequesta
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.69
Property Crimes per 1,000: 8.60
8. Indian Shores
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.65
Property Crimes per 1,000: 8.82
9. Valparaiso
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.34
Property Crimes per 1,000: 9.18
10. Highland Beach
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.54
Property Crimes per 1,000: 10.21
11. Bay Harbor Islands
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.49
Property Crimes per 1,000: 10.33
12. Cooper City
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.87
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.14
13. Sanibel
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.56
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.52
14. Winter Springs
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.05
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.05
15. Minneola
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.13
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.06
16. Satellite Beach
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.57
Property Crimes per 1,000: 1.72
17. Oviedo
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.63
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.19
18. Indian Harbour Beach
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.08
Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.20
19. Midway
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.19
Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.18
20. Punta Gorda
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.23
Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.89
To learn more about the home security options available to you, check out SafeWise’s picks for Best Home Security Systems of 2018 or select the city nearest you in the drop down menu below.
Leave a comment