Here Are The 10 Most Dangerous Towns In Florida To Live In
While the Sunshine State is a popular place to visit and vacation, its cities don’t have the best track record, and crime rate statistics for many a town in Old Florida are notoriously high. Some of the most historic and charming cities in Florida, unfortunately, have the highest crime rates. We’ve reviewed recent data from Neighborhood Scout to compile the following list of most dangerous towns in Florida. They’re not in any particular order, but as a side note, these cities are by no means places to avoid or eschew; rather, take the information and exercise extra caution when visiting or vacationing in these (statistically) dangerous Florida cities.
Homestead was rated as one of Florida's most dangerous cities, and also ranks in the Top 100 most dangerous cities in the entire country. Homestead being a mid-sized city was probably a large factor in its place on the list. Even with its ranking, Homestead is a unique city full of one-of-a-kind attractions and a lot of reasons to visit, including its location next to two of the best parks in Florida, the Everglades and Biscayne National Park.
Fort Pierce is home to some of the most beautiful parks and natural areas in the state. But unfortunately, this Florida city has a higher-than-average rate of property crime. For comparison, one's chances of being a victim of property crime is 1 in 50 in Fort Pierce, compared to 1 in 56 for Florida. Violent crime rates are also significantly higher than state average. By and large, however, Fort Pierce known as a charming historic city in St. Lucie County on our Treasure Coast. Visitors will appreciate its historic waterfront downtown area, which is home to some wonderful restaurants and attractions.
Daytona Beach is a popular tourist destination 51 miles northeast of Orlando, that's known for its scenic beauty and abundance of attractions, accommodations, and restaurants. So it's pretty alarming how high it is on this list; Daytona Beach is safer than only 8% of U.S. cities. In other words, 92% of U.S. cities have lower property and violent crime rates than this tourist town. We hope visitors will still enjoy all Daytona has to offer, from the famous Daytona 500 to the recently restored historic Daytona Beach Pier.
Both violent and property-related crimes in Lake Worth are much loftier than state and national averages, a state that unfortunately makes the "most dangerous cities in Florida" lists time and time again. These figures are even more upsetting considering that this locale is not one of Florida's big cities by any means. Nonetheless, we definitely recommend a visit to the country's largest street painting festival, where temporary masterpieces seem to jump off the pavement.
Miami is a popular destination for the rich and famous, but even as a city of over 440,000, it still has higher than average crime rates for its size. In fact, Miami is safer than just 10% of all other U.S. cities. As an Old Town Florida destination, it's disheartening to have crime rate stats that are so high. We believe these ratings are good to be aware of, but it's not our goal to convince people to never to visit. Miami has tons of fun restaurants, night life and attractions, so just take precautions to stay safe while enjoying the city.
Fort Myers doesn't have the worst numbers on this list of most dangerous cities in Florida, but once again, factoring in the size of the city (under 90,000) makes its high violent crime and murder rates even more unusual. Ironically, Punta Rassa, a census-designated place in Fort Myers, is one of the safest places in Florida. Visitors should still be sure to make a trip to Fort Myers to visit one of Florida's great attractions, the winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
Although the number of violent crimes and property-related crimes are lower for Riviera Beach than Miami Beach, it's placed higher on the list because its crime rates are particularly alarming when compared to other cities of its size, which is just around 37,000 people. Despite these numbers, Riviera Beach has a lot of nice parks perfect for those who prefer outdoor activities.
This historic city in South Florida has much higher-than-average crime rates. Nonetheless, we think it's still worth visiting this city's incredible Art Deco Historic District, the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world. Miami Beach pulses with a vibrant infusion of life, color, flavor, and activity, and with the proper planning and precautions, it's a place worth exploring and enjoying.
Lauderdale Lakes is a a town in southeast Florida with about 36,000 people. (For reference, it's the Lauderdale Lakes is the 96th largest community in Florida.) Lauderdale Lakes has a shockingly high crime rate for a town of its size, with a violent crime rate more than twice that of the average for the state. We hope this city that calls itself the "Heart of Broward County" can find a way to become safer for its residents.
The "Sunshine City" has a lot of awesome things to see, from its acclaimed Moonlight Market and world-renowned attractions like The Salvador Dali Museum and the home of the Florida Orchestra, Mahaffey Theater, but this popular city for retirement has loftier-than-average violent and property crime rates.
Do you feel safe in these cities and in your hometown? Did you know about the town crime rate stats in Old Florida? What do you think are the safest and most dangerous places in Florida? Tell us in the comments below!
What are the town crime rate statistics in Old Florida so high?
Since “Old Florida” includes many a tourist town and locale, these places tend to attract lots of crowds and businesses, which, unfortunately, can result in high crime rate statistics. When visiting these high-traffic areas, exercise extra caution, common sense, and be aware of your surroundings. Some of the state’s coolest attractions and towns are on this list of most dangerous towns in Florida, and we certainly want to encourage readers to get out explore — armed with a healthy dose of knowledge, of course.
What are some of the coolest Old Town Florida towns to explore?
Florida is an interesting place, with a very interesting history. It makes sense that some of the best places in our state are the charming and historic towns, especially the oldest ones. It’s difficult to pin down the oldest places in the state, because so many of our towns predate Florida as a state, or even as a U.S. territory, so we have settled on using the official date of incorporation to help us find the top 10 oldest towns in Florida, but it’s all open to interpretation. These towns also happen to be great places to visit. Here are the oldest towns in Florida that we simply love exploring.
Address: Fort Pierce, FL, USA
Address: Lake Worth, FL, USA
Address: Miami, FL, USA
Address: Riviera Beach, FL, USA
Address: Lauderdale Lakes, FL, USA
Address: Miami Beach, FL, USA
Address: Fort Myers, FL, USA
Address: Homestead, FL, USA
Address: Daytona Beach, FL, USA
Address: St. Petersburg, FL, USA
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