The 10 Safest Places for You to Live in Florida Leave a comment

If you live your life in a state of readiness, chances are pretty good that you’re like most preppers and are getting ready for what I call big-ticket events: I’m talking about things like natural disasters, man-made catastrophes, riots, societal collapse, and things like that.

flag of Florida

It’s definitely good to be ready for these things, and to have a plan, but sometimes you can miss the forest for the trees. You’re statistically far, far more likely to be victimized by everyday crime. A mugging, a robbery, a home invasion, carjacking, and so forth.

Staying far away from areas with high crime, and especially crimes of violence, is one of the smartest things you can do to keep you and your family safe.

If you live or want to move to Florida, you’re in luck, because I’ll be telling you about 10 of the safest places to stay in the state.

A Note on the Metrics

We’ll get right to the safe places, but before we do I want to say something about the statistics I used to generate this list.

I didn’t look at raw crime numbers; not only is everything a crime these days, but I’m not that worried about victimless crimes or things like shoplifting and petty theft or unpaid parking tickets.

Sure, that stuff’s not good, but it’s also not going to directly impact your life and safety.

Instead, I combed federal and state statistics for violent crimes like the aforementioned burglary, robbery, assault, murder, arson, home invasion, and so forth. Really bad criminals doing bad things to innocent people, in other words.

If I included all crimes, this list might be different, but I wouldn’t hesitate to live in any of these places, and neither should you. Now, let’s check out the list.

Towns and Cities

Parkland

Located in Southeastern Florida, smack in the middle of Broward County, right next door to Coral Springs, and just a short hop from Fort Lauderdale, Parkland is, just as the name suggests, a tropical, pastoral town that is full of parks and recreational facilities.

Although the population is fairly modest at just 35,000 or so, it is a wealthy, affluent area with a small but highly efficient police force. There’s only one violent crime committed, statistically, for every 4,000 residents yearly, meaning you won’t have very much to worry about at all.

If you can afford to live there and have a family, this is one of the best towns in Florida, especially if you want to enjoy a quiet lifestyle.

Cooper City

Another town near Fort Lauderdale, unfortunately one of the more dangerous cities in Florida, Cooper City is often thought of as a bedroom community for that larger city.

Like Parkland, it is a smaller town with right around 37,000 residents, and there’s only one violent crime committed for every 1,500 people.

Cooper City also has an effective and highly modern police force, and the Broward County Sheriff’s Department happens to be the largest in the entire state, meaning you won’t have to worry about any crimes spilling out of Fort Lauderdale and affecting you here.

Despite its small size, Cooper City is beautiful and has many lush parks and tree-lined streets full of shops, small businesses, and nice dining establishments. Excellent schools are another incentive for families.

Kissimmee

Located smack in the middle of Central Florida, Kissimmee is often thought of as a suburb of Orlando, and that’s definitely one way to think of it…

It is indeed part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area, and as you might imagine, the emphasis is on Disney magic, theme parks, shopping, resorts, and more.

But compared to its larger neighboring city, Kissimmee is more diverse with a mix of a built-up city center and sprawling suburbs.

Considering how densely populated the region is, it is surprisingly free of violent crime. Just four violent crimes are reported for every 1,000 residents.

Although higher than the other cities on our list, it fares far better than other large metro areas in Florida.

If you love living in the middle of a bustling city but would rather do without the crime and hateful attitudes of Orlando, be sure to check out Kissimmee.

Satellite Beach

Nestled in the heart of Florida’s Space Coast and home to a thriving aerospace industrial complex and various technological industries, it’s obvious where Satellite Beach got its name…

Despite the high-tech industries, the rest of the town feels quite homey, almost sleepy. With a population of just under 11,500, less than one violent crime is committed for every 1,000 residents.

Small population, excellent policing, and tons of gorgeous beaches, lagoons, and other natural features mean you can really kick back and enjoy a slice of the old Florida lifestyle and still check out the occasional rocket launch. What’s not to love?

Winter Springs

Another small town that is nonetheless close to big city action, Winter Springs is in Seminole County, close to both Orlando and Lake Mary.

With a thriving healthcare and educational industry, Winter Springs is home to the Cross Seminole Trail, Central Winds Park, and many other parks and recreational facilities besides.

Although it is sometimes derided as feeling like one giant suburb, that’s hardly anything to complain about when you consider how low the violent crime rate is compared to neighboring Orlando; right at 1.25 for every 1,000 people.

Although that sounds high compared to other towns we just talked about, consider that the national average for violent crime in the US is 3.7 crimes committed for every 1,000 people.

Again, you don’t have to live way out in the sticks with no amenities just to enjoy a safe town, and Winter Springs is one of the best examples in the state.

Counties

St. Johns

Located in northeastern Florida, St. Johns County is the location of St. Augustine, which also happens to be the county seat.

Focused on tourism and healthcare, easy access to sleepy villages, gorgeous Atlantic beaches, and many other historical sites make St. Johns perfect for history buffs.

It’s also perfect for those wanting a quiet domain or a safe and charming place to raise a family. The county, including St. Augustine, has a violent crime rate right at three per 1,000 residents.

Sumter

One of the most popular retirement destinations in the entire state, Sumter County, located in Central Florida, is home to The Villages, with a capital V: it is one of the largest retirement developments in the state and even in the US…

Other than legions of white-haired retirees and snowbirds, Sumter County is focused on agriculture and recreation, with Lake Panasoffkee and the Withlacoochee River being major attractions.

If you aren’t in your golden years, you might be better off living out in the rural parts of the county, but in any case, you won’t be contending with much violent crime: there is less than one violent crime committed for every 1,000 residents.

Collier

Naples and Marco Island are both tourism hotspots and affluent vacation destinations, and both are located in Collier County.

With gorgeous, golden Gulf beaches, tons of golf courses, and effective, courteous law enforcement, those who can afford to live here will enjoy the good life without worrying over the criminal element mucking things up.

For those who prefer a different kind of adventure, part of the Everglades National Park extends into Collier County. In keeping with its upper-crust citizenry, violent crime is pretty low, just one instance per every 1,000 people.

Sarasota

Sarasota County is the location of the eponymously named Sarasota, the county seat, and Venice, both located right on the Gulf.

Home to the Myakka River State Park, the indisputably gorgeous Siesta Key Beach, and a thriving, diverse cultural landscape with many amenities and top-rated schools, there’s something for everyone in Sarasota County.

Whether you want to live in a bustling city with all the shops, restaurants, and conveniences you could want, or keep it quiet and quaint out in the further reaches, Sarasota County is one of the best and safest places to live in Florida.

Once again, there is less than one violent crime committed for every 1,000 residents.

Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa County makes up a large part of the Pensacola metro area and enjoys an extremely low crime rate of less than one per 1,000 citizens.

Notably beautiful, home to many state parks and gorgeous Gulf beaches, and crisscrossed with waterways that are perfect for boating, kayaking, and fishing, Santa Rosa County is pretty sparsely populated with just 200,000 people in the entire county.

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