The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Florida For 2023

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Florida For 2023

You know those “Florida Man” memes? Chances are at least one of those is straight out of Florida City, Florida’s most dangerous city.

With 3 murders happening over a year in a city of just 11,826, Florida City is officially the murder capital of the state. Violent crime as a whole is shockingly common, with residents facing a 1 in 34 chance of being the victim of a violent crime throughout the year. Overall, running into an alligator at Everglades National Park is a whole lot less likely than being attacked in Florida City.

The property crime rate in Florida City is also the fifth highest statewide, and the overall crime rate is nearly 300% higher than the nationwide average.

Florida City is 45 minutes southwest of Miami.

Lake City may be known as the Gateway to Florida, but it’s also the gateway to an uncomfortable amount of crime. You don’t need to go to the Civil War reenactments at Lake City’s annual Olustee Festival to see a battlefield, because the city has the fourth highest violent crime rate in Florida.

Residents of Lake City also have a 1 in 18 chance of being robbed or having their property damaged over a year, so it’s not the sort of place you want to leave your house unlocked either.

Situated on Florida’s east coast between Orlando and Cape Canaveral, the city of Cocoa has seen a moderate rise in crime in the past year.

Cocoa’s biggest problem is property crime, which ranks as the third highest in Florida. In fact, with so many property crimes, Cocoa’s overall crime rate is actually the fourth highest in the state and more than double the national average.

Cocoa is the least violent place on this list, but the city still had 214 cases of violence reported in 2021.

Located just north of Miami, Opa Locka comes in as the fourth most dangerous place to live in Florida. While that may sound bad, consider the fact that Opa Lock had the highest violent crime rate in the country in 2004.

While improvements have certainly been made since then, we think the residents of Opa Locka would still like to have slightly lower odds than 1 in 50 chance of being the victim of a violent crime over a year, the second highest rate in Florida.

Property crime is also all too common; with about one car theft every three days and a burglary every other day, Opa Locka’s property crime rate is the ninth highest statewide.

We’re taking our first trip to Florida Panhandle to reach the state’s fifth most dangerous city, Panama City Beach. Known for its sugar-white sandy beaches and top-notch shopping at Pier Park, Panama City Beach is a big draw for tourists from all over.

However, tourism also contributes to Panama City Beach having the second highest rate of property crime in Florida. The city also has the unfortunate distinction of having the eighth highest rate of rape statewide. Panama City Beach has moved up a few spots on our list since last year, so things seem to be getting worse by the year here.

Perry ended up in the #6 spot on this list mostly due to high rates of violent crime. Perry’s residents had a 1 in 98 shot of being the victim of an attack in 2021.

Property crime as a whole isn’t so bad that you have to worry about thieves stealing your cell phone if you go for a dip in the ocean at Keaton Beach.

But you should definitely lock your doors in Perry, because the city had the second highest burglary rate in Florida, with a staggering 149 cases in a place with only 6,865 people.

No, you haven’t flown way off course and ended up in Central America. That’s a different Panama City, located near the famous canal. Rather, you’re in the panhandle of Florida, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

This Panama City has its perks. You’ve got the water. You’ve got science museums and arts centers. However, you also have a crime problem. This represents the number 7 most dangerous spot in Florida.

One truly scary statistic: the number of sexual assaults reported last year. The community suffered 38 such crimes in a population of 34,672 — the number 3 highest rate in the state.

When you think of Florida, certain visions come to mind. Beaches. Disney World. Speed boats riding along the coast. Well, you aren’t going to get any of that in Starke. Rather, you’ll find an inland community about 45 minutes southwest of Jacksonville.

The lack of ocean access is just the start of the problems. You’ll also find the number 8 most dangerous place in Florida. Violence represents a major problem in the area. In a community of just 5,415 people, Starke suffered 62 violent crimes. This brings the town the number 6 highest pace of this type of violation.

There’s a lot to love about Miami Beach — from the exceptional nightlife at South Beach, to the daytime fun at the boardwalk, to the historic and picturesque Spanish-inspired Espanola Way, there’s a reason tourists flock here.

But while tourism brings a lot of money to the community, it also contributes to Miami Beach’s high crime rate. By and large, property crime is the bigger issue in Miami Beach, with a person having a 1 in 5,109 chance of having their property robbed or vandalized. On the bright side, no city on this list has a lower murder rate than Miami Beach.

Next up on our list of Florida’s most dangerous places to call home is Riviera Beach, a city of 35,798 located just north of West Palm Beach.

Make sure you keep an eye on your valuables when you’re at the municipal beach, because there were 909 larceny cases recorded in 2021.

On top of that, Riviera Beach had the third highest murder rate in Florida and the fifth highest violent crime rate overall.

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