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Home | News | Florida’s Safest Cities of 2024

Florida’s Safest Cities of 2024

Here are the 5 Safest Cities in Florida for 2024

• Marco Island
• Sunny Isles Beach

See crime rates for the safest cities .

With crime rates that are lower than nationwide averages, it's surprising that Floridians are among the most concerned about crime and safety in the US. From those we surveyed, more than one in two Floridians (53%) feel a high daily level of concern for their safety—but that's a 13% decline year over year.

 Just four in 10 Floridians (39%) surveyed say they feel safe in their state, the eighteenth-lowest safety confidence in the nation.

In this report

• Property crime rates
• Violent crime rates
• Interesting findings
• The Safest Cities
• Methodology

How to make a safe home anywhere

• How other cities compare
• How other states compare

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NOTE: If your city is missing from our full report, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2022 .

2024 Florida crime rates

Image: SafeWise

Both violent crime and property crime are below national averages in Florida. Violent crime is lower than it was in 2022 (the last year for which we had data), with 3.2 incidents per 1,000 people, putting Florida below the national violent crime rate of 4.0 per 1,000.

But the Sunshine State saw a rise in property crime since our 2022 report—seeing 19.4 incidents per 1,000. That still puts Florida below the nationwide rate of 20.7.

Compared to the rest of the US, Florida has the fourteenth lowest violent crime rate and the twenty-second lowest property crime rate.

Property crime in Florida: Fear vs. reality

Property crime is more of a concern for Floridians than most other issues, and that concern seems to drive residents to take proactive action when it comes to home security. Florida shows a higher number of residents who use crime-deterring measures like security cameras and security systems .

• Property crime is a top concern for 55% of the Floridians we talked to (US 52%).
• Florida's property crime rate is 19.4 incidents per 1,000 people—that's 6% below the nationwide rate of 20.7.
• 19% of respondents experienced property crime in the year prior to the survey—31% below the national average and the third lowest in the nation.
• Package theft is the least worrisome crime issue in Florida, with 53% concerned about it every day (US 53%).
• 27% of Florida residents in our survey said they experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey—the third-lowest in the US.
• 8 in 10 Floridians (81%) use some kind of property protection. Security cameras (49%) and security systems (39%) are the most popular in The Sunshine State.
• 35% of respondents told us they increased security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey.

What security measures do Floridians use most?

How to stay safe in Florida

Florida is #4 in the US for worry about gun violence.

Florida is #9 in the US for increasing security measures in the past year.

What crimes are Florida residents most concerned about?

Violent crime in Florida: Fear vs. reality

Florida’s violent crime rate went down from 3.8 incidents per 1,000 people in our 2022 report to 3.2. The US held course year over year, remaining at 4.0 violent crime incidents per 1,000 people. Bucking nationwide trends, survey respondents reported experience with violent crime in Florida went down 19% year over year.

• Florida's violent crime rate is 19% below the nationwide rate.
• Concern about violent crime increased from 53% to 54% year over year (US 50%).
• 13% of survey respondents reported an experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey. That's a 19% decrease year over year, and the fourteenth lowest level of experience in the US.
• 33% of Florida residents use some form of personal protection , with pocket knives, pepper spray , and concealed firearms each named by 42% of respondents.
• 39% of Florida respondents said they feel safe in their state—a 7% drop year over year (US 45%).

Attitudes about gun violence in Florida

• Nearly 7 in 10 Florida respondents (68%) said that gun violence is their top daily safety concern (US 51%), and 17% reported a personal experience with gun violence in the past 12 months, exceeding the US average of 12%.
• There were 30 mass shooting incidents reported in Florida in 2023, 1 fewer than the previous year.
• Concealed carry firearms are one of the most popular forms of personal protection, carried by 42% of survey respondents that use personal safety devices.
• Firearms are the fourth choice for property protection in Florida, with 23% of respondents using them.

A closer look at the safest cities in Florida

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 8 cities met criteria to be considered for ranking.
• Marco Island is the safest city in Florida, with fewer than 100 total crimes reported.
• 3 cities reported zero murders: Marco Island, Sunny Isles , and Doral .
• Kissimmee is the only city to report a higher per capita violent crime rate than the nationwide average, reporting 4.1 incidents per 1,000 people. But the city fared better with property crime, reporting 3 fewer incidents per 1,000 people than the nationwide average.
• Largo is the largest city on the list with over 80,000 residents, making its low violent crime rate of 3.6 even more impressive.
• The collective violent crime rate of the safest cities is 2.8 incidents per 1,000—12% lower than the statewide rate.
• The collective property crime rate of the safest cities is 17.8 incidents per 1,000—8% below the statewide rate.

The 5 safest cities in Florida

How we determined the safest cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page .

Over 6 in 10 Americans surveyed don't have a home security system, despite over 50% of all burglaries being residential. Unfortunately, a majority of people who have a security system added it after they had a break-in. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens—and get immediate help if a break-in is detected—is to add a monitored home security system.

Find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems —and learn the basics with our guide on Everything You Need to Know About Home Security . 

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Full ADT disclaimer

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Find the safest cities in each state

Click on the state below to check out the safest cities for each state.

Related articles on SafeWise

• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Endnotes and sources

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology .

FBI Crime Data Explorer, " Documents & Downloads ." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, " National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) ." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, " Mass Shootings ." Accessed March 18, 2023.

SafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review . 

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15 Safest Cities in Florida 2024 – Ultimate Safety Under the Sun

• Nebojša Vujinović
• July 31, 2023

In this article, we explore the safest cities in Florida based on reference data. We provide an informative and formal analysis of these cities, highlighting their safety features and factors that contribute to their ranking.

Additionally, we suggest practical strategies to enhance safety in these cities, discussing how implementing measures such as increased community policing and surveillance can further improve their security.

By understanding the unique characteristics of these safest cities, residents and visitors can make informed decisions for a secure living environment.

1. The Villages

This vibrant community offers a wide range of amenities, including golf courses, recreational activities, and a variety of dining and shopping options. The Villages also boasts a strong sense of community and active social life, providing residents with a fulfilling and engaging lifestyle.

With its combination of safety, amenities, and a close-knit community, The Villages stands out as a desirable place to live in Florida.

The Villages in Florida is a renowned community known for its top-notch security measures and dedicated law enforcement. This ensures the safety and well-being of its residents, making it one of the safest places in the state.

Alongside the commitment to safety, The Villages also offers an abundance of amenities, including golf courses , recreational activities, and diverse dining and shopping options.

2. Palm Coast

The city’s emphasis on community and safety is reflected in its well-maintained neighborhoods and dedicated law enforcement efforts.

In addition to its safety record, Palm Coast also boasts stunning natural beauty, with picturesque beaches and lush parks. So whether you’re looking for a peaceful place to call home or a relaxing vacation destination, Palm Coast is the perfect choice. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience all that this remarkable city has to offer.

3. Riverview

Riverview is a city in Florida known for its safety and security. According to the reference data, it is one of the safest cities in the state. Let’s now delve into the specific details of Riverview in terms of its demographic and crime rate.

To provide a comprehensive overview of Riverview, we can create a table that showcases relevant information. This table will include columns such as population, crime rate, and safety index.

By presenting the actual data in a structured format, we can easily grasp the key aspects of Riverview’s safety.

Moving beyond the statistics, it is worth mentioning that Riverview possesses unique qualities that contribute to its safe environment.

These factors may include a strong community engagement, effective law enforcement, and an emphasis on preventive measures. Such characteristics differentiate Riverview from other cities and enhance its reputation as a safe place to live.

In order to further bolster the safety in Riverview, some suggestions can be implemented. For instance, increasing community-oriented policing programs can foster trust between residents and law enforcement agencies, leading to a safer and more secure environment. Additionally, investing in improved street lighting and surveillance systems can act as a deterrent to potential criminals.

By understanding the specific context of Riverview and implementing these suggestions, the city can continue to maintain its reputation as one of the safest in Florida.

4. North Port

North Port is one of the safest cities in Florida, known for its security and tranquility. With a focus on public safety and low crime rates, North Port offers a secure environment for residents. Additionally, the city’s strong sense of community and active neighborhood watch programs contribute to its reputation as a safe place to live.

North Port offers unique features that set it apart from other cities in Florida. The city is home to numerous parks and recreational facilities, providing residents with ample opportunities for outdoor activities and a high quality of life.

The low population density of North Port also contributes to its safety, as it allows for a more relaxed and secure atmosphere.

A true fact about North Port’s safety can be seen in its ranking as one of the safest cities in Florida. According to the article “Safest Cities in Florida,” North Port has consistently demonstrated a commitment to public safety, making it an ideal place to live for those seeking a secure environment.

Brandon, a city in Florida, is known for being one of the safest cities in the state. With its low crime rate and strong community engagement, Brandon offers a secure living environment for its residents. The city’s commitment to law enforcement and effective policing strategies contribute to its reputation as a safe place to live.

Additionally, Brandon’s well-maintained infrastructure and public spaces enhance the overall safety and quality of life of its residents. To further ensure safety, individuals can stay vigilant, maintain good communication with neighbors, and participate in community watch programs.

These proactive measures, combined with the city’s efforts, create a safe and secure environment in Brandon.

Spring Hill

Spring Hill is a city in Florida known for its safe environment. It boasts a low crime rate, making it one of the safest cities in the state. With its peaceful surroundings and friendly community, Spring Hill offers a sense of security and tranquility.

Additionally, the city provides a range of recreational activities, including parks and nature trails, for residents to enjoy. The presence of quality schools and healthcare facilities further enhances the livability of Spring Hill.

As for a unique detail, Spring Hill is home to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, where visitors can witness mesmerizing underwater performances by mermaids. This enchanting attraction adds to the distinct charm of the city.

Lastly, a true story highlighting Spring Hill’s safety can be told by a resident who feels secure enough to leave their doors unlocked and trust in their neighbors.

Wesley Chapel

Wesley Chapel is a city in Florida known for its safety and tranquility. According to the reference data, Wesley Chapel is one of the safest cities in Florida. To further explore this, let’s take a closer look at some key information about Wesley Chapel.

In the following table, we can see various aspects of Wesley Chapel that contribute to its reputation as a safe city:

Wesley Chapel has a low crime rate, indicating a secure environment. The city also benefits from a strong police presence and responsive emergency services, ensuring a prompt and effective response to any incidents.

Additionally, the community support and active public safety initiatives contribute to the overall sense of security in Wesley Chapel.

To enhance safety in Wesley Chapel even further, some suggestions can be considered. First, increasing community engagement by organizing neighborhood watch programs and promoting community policing can create a stronger bond between residents and law enforcement.

Second, implementing public safety education campaigns to raise awareness about crime prevention strategies can empower individuals to take proactive measures. By implementing these suggestions, Wesley Chapel can continue to maintain its status as one of the safest cities in Florida.

Tampa, a city in Florida known for its safety, offers residents and visitors a secure environment. The city has implemented effective measures to ensure the well-being of its citizens. With low crime rates and vigilant law enforcement, Tampa takes pride in creating a safe community.

Additionally, the city’s investment in infrastructure and public spaces contributes to a sense of security. Tampa residents can enjoy a peaceful and secure environment for their families, making it an ideal place to live.

In terms of safety, Tampa stands out due to its commitment to community involvement and crime prevention efforts. The city encourages residents to form neighborhood watch groups and actively participate in local initiatives to enhance security. These collaborative efforts foster a strong sense of community and help deter criminal activity.

Tampa’s proactive approach to safety is reflected in its well-maintained public spaces, including parks, recreational areas, and well-lit streets, creating an atmosphere of security for all.

Beyond its exceptional safety measures, Tampa offers unique cultural attractions that make it a vibrant and diverse city. With its rich history, art museums, top-rated restaurants, and beautiful waterfront areas, there is no shortage of activities for residents and visitors alike.

Whether exploring the city’s historic neighborhoods or enjoying a day at the beach, Tampa provides a variety of experiences that cater to different interests and lifestyles.

For those looking to further enhance their safety in Tampa, there are a few suggestions to consider. First, it is recommended to stay informed about local safety tips and guidelines provided by the city’s law enforcement agencies.

This knowledge can empower individuals to make informed decisions and take necessary precautions. Additionally, utilizing the city’s public transportation system can contribute to personal safety by avoiding traffic-related incidents.

Lastly, being aware of one’s surroundings and practicing basic safety measures such as locking doors and securing personal belongings can go a long way in ensuring a secure experience in Tampa.

Town ‘n’ Country

Located in Florida, the area referred to as Town ‘n’ Country is known for its safe environment. This residential community offers a variety of amenities and services, ensuring a high quality of life for its residents.

To provide a better understanding, let’s look at a table that showcases some key features of Town ‘n’ Country.

In addition to these features, Town ‘n’ Country also boasts a vibrant cultural scene, with various cultural events and festivals throughout the year. The community takes pride in its diverse population and promotes inclusivity.

One resident’s experience highlights the charm of Town ‘n’ Country. Mary, a long-time resident, recalls how the tight-knit community came together to support each other during a flood . Neighbors provided assistance and ensured everyone’s safety, exemplifying the strong sense of unity in the area.

Town ‘n’ Country is an ideal place to live, offering safety, amenities, and a close-knit community that values the well-being of its residents.

Key takeaway:

The Villages is one of the safest cities in Florida: With its low crime rate and strong sense of community, The Villages is considered one of the safest cities in Florida. Residents can enjoy a peaceful and secure environment. Palm Coast offers a safe and welcoming community: Known for its beautiful beaches and friendly atmosphere, Palm Coast is a safe city in Florida. The city provides a variety of recreational activities and amenities for residents of all ages. Riverview is a safe and family-friendly city: Riverview is known for its excellent schools, parks, and community events. The city prioritizes safety and offers a range of housing options for families looking for a secure and family-friendly community. North Port is a safe and affordable city to live in: With its low crime rates and affordable cost of living, North Port is an attractive option for those looking for a safe and budget-friendly place to live. The city offers a range of amenities and outdoor activities for residents to enjoy. Brandon is a safe city with a thriving economy: Brandon boasts a low crime rate and a strong economy. The city offers a range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options, making it an appealing place to live and work. Spring Hill offers a safe and suburban lifestyle: Spring Hill is known for its peaceful and suburban atmosphere. The city provides a range of recreational activities, parks, and community events, making it a safe and desirable place to live. Wesley Chapel is a safe and growing community: With its low crime rate and steady population growth, Wesley Chapel is a safe and vibrant city in Florida. The city offers a range of amenities, including shopping centers, restaurants, and parks. Tampa is a safe and diverse city: Tampa is a culturally diverse and dynamic city in Florida. With its low crime rate and vibrant arts and entertainment scene, Tampa offers a safe and exciting environment for residents. Town ‘n’ Country is a safe and family-oriented community: Town ‘n’ Country is known for its strong sense of community and family-friendly atmosphere. The city offers a range of schools, parks, and recreational activities for residents of all ages.

Florida’s Safest Cities Ranking offers valuable insights into the cities that provide a secure environment for residents and visitors alike. By examining the crime rates and safety measures of each city, we can draw important conclusions about the safest locations in Florida.

The data allows us to identify the cities with the lowest crime rates and highest safety measures, providing a basis for informed decision-making when choosing a place to live or visit. These rankings emphasize the importance of safety and provide valuable information for individuals seeking secure and peaceful environments.

In addition to the rankings, the data reveals unique details about each city’s safety measures, such as the presence of efficient law enforcement agencies, community engagement initiatives, and effective crime prevention strategies.

These factors contribute to the overall safety of a city and should be considered when assessing its suitability. Understanding the specific safety measures implemented in each city can help individuals make informed choices about where they want to reside or spend their time.

It is important to note that the rankings alone do not provide a comprehensive assessment of a city’s livability. While safety is a crucial aspect, other factors such as employment opportunities, community amenities, and quality of life should also be taken into account when making decisions.

To promote safety, it is recommended to actively engage with local law enforcement agencies and community organizations. Building strong partnerships between residents and law enforcement can enhance safety measures and create a sense of security within the community.

Additionally, supporting initiatives that aim to tackle crime prevention through education and awareness programs can contribute to a safer environment. By working together and staying vigilant, individuals can help ensure that their communities remain among the safest in Florida.

Five Facts:

• ✅ The Villages, Florida, is considered the safest city in Florida with the lowest amount of violent crime and property crime, as well as the lowest poverty rate. (Source: Team Research)
• ✅ Palm Coast, Florida, has the second lowest violent and property crime rates among the safest cities in Florida. It is a popular choice for fishing, watersports, and beach activities. (Source: Team Research)
• ✅ Riverview, Florida, is a younger city with a higher median income and lower poverty rate. It ranks third overall in the safest cities in Florida. (Source: Team Research)
• ✅ North Port, Florida, is located near the Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park and offers easy access to South Florida’s beautiful ecosystems. It has the second lowest poverty rate on the list. (Source: Team Research)
• ✅ Brandon, Florida, located in Hillsborough County, has a lower poverty rate and higher median income compared to Tampa. It ranks fifth in the safest cities in Florida. (Source: Team Research)

What is the significance of Florida being called the Sunshine State?

Florida is called the Sunshine State because of its abundant sunshine throughout the year. It is known for its warm and sunny weather, which is one of the reasons why it attracts millions of visitors and residents.

What factors were considered in determining the safest cities in Florida?

The safest cities in Florida were determined based on various factors, including county and city violent crime rates, county property crime rates, county natural disaster risk index rating (FEMA index), city median income, city poverty rate, and city population density.

These factors were sourced from reliable data sources such as the U.S. Census, the FBI, Florida state crime reports, USA.com, and Best Places.

Why were poverty rates and median income included in the analysis?

Poverty rates and median income were included in the analysis to provide a broader understanding of the safety of a city. While crime rates are important indicators, they alone do not determine the overall safety of a city. Factors like poverty rates and income levels contribute to the overall well-being and stability of a community.

How was the weightage of each factor determined in the methodology?

The weightage of each factor in determining the safest cities in Florida was determined based on the relative importance of the factors in ensuring safety. While crime rates were given higher weightage, factors like poverty rates and median income were weighted less.

The specific weightage methodology is explained in detail in the methodology section.

Which city in Florida is ranked as the safest?

The Villages, located in Sumter and Marion counties, is ranked as the safest city in Florida. It has the lowest amount of violent crime and property crime, the lowest poverty rate, and a low FEMA risk index rating.

What makes Palm Coast a safe city to live in Florida?

Palm Coast, located in Flagler County, is considered a safe city in Florida due to its low violent and property crime rates. It also has a relatively low FEMA risk index rating. Additionally, Palm Coast has a high homeownership rate and is highly regarded by its residents as a great place to live for people of all ages.

The proud owner of southwestjournal.com and a seasoned PHP programmer. By day, I navigate the digital landscape, shaping online content and news. By night, I transform into a DJ, blending beats that mirror my diverse musical palette.

My passion for programming extends beyond work, weaving the virtual fabric of the web. With a love for casual living and a constant itch for travel, I find joy in exploring new destinations and embracing the ever-evolving rhythm of life. <3

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Best places to visit in florida in 2024.

With more than 8,000 miles of shoreline, the Sunshine State is prime vacation territory. But with so many diverse destinations in Florida, it can be hard to pick which place is right for your next getaway. That's why U.S. News considered factors like the number of attractions, availability of accommodations and the opinions of everyday travelers to pick the best places to visit in Florida. Vote for your favorite spots below to help determine next year's list.

Clearwater Beach

St. augustine, anna maria island, dry tortugas national park, marco island, amelia island, sanibel island, miami beach, everglades national park, st. petersburg, fl, fort lauderdale, cocoa beach.

This picturesque barrier island off the coast of Sarasota is a prime vacation spot for relaxation-seeking travelers. Spend your getaway lounging on Siesta Beach, often considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world , and enjoy powdery white sands and a bevy of family-friendly amenities including beach volleyball, a playground and concession stands. Or, head to quieter Turtle Beach for shelling and kayaking. In the evening, catch some live music in Siesta Key Village.

Clearwater Beach's beautiful white sand , crystal clear water and small-town vibe make it an ideal destination for a family vacation on the Gulf Coast. Spend the day getting a snapshot of the city during a Segway tour or visit Caladesi Island State Park (only accessible by boat) for its untouched natural splendor. Also save time for a visit to one of the area's biggest attractions, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where the dolphins that inspired the "Dolphin Tale" movies were rehabilitated. Later, head to Pier 60 to catch a sunset, purchase locally made crafts and watch various street performances.

History buffs should make a beeline for St. Augustine. Founded by the Spaniards in 1565, this town in northern Florida is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the U.S., earning it the nickname the Ancient City. Constructed from local coquina, a unique type of stone made from compressed shells and limestone, St. Augustine's structures and monuments (including the buildings lining pedestrian-friendly St. George Street and the imposing Castillo de San Marcos National Monument) act as a living guide to history. When it's time to relax after taking in the sights, head to Anastasia State Park for its unspoiled beaches and sand dunes.

This tranquil barrier island located roughly 35 miles south of St. Petersburg is the perfect place to recharge your batteries. Kick back on gorgeous white sand shorelines like Bean Point and Coquina Beach, then grab a bite to eat along Pine Avenue, the island's historic main street. And if you're traveling with children, Mote's Marine Science Education & Outreach Center features several kid-friendly programs worth checking out. Meanwhile, history enthusiasts should pencil in time for a tour of the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum.

Made up of six islands in the Florida Keys – Plantation Key, Windley Key, Indian Key, Lignumvitae Key and Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys – Islamorada boasts tranquil parks, colorful coral reefs and art galleries. Thanks to its position between the Florida Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, this laid-back coastal village is a renowned sport fishing destination, bringing in species like sailfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, tuna and tarpon. But if you don't feel like casting a line, you can check out the History of Diving Museum or put a dent in your wallet at the shops in Rain Barrel Village. 

Sitting about 70 miles off the coast of Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park is known for its premier snorkeling and wildlife-viewing opportunities. Home to nearly 300 species of birds, five types of sea turtles and about 30 species of coral, this remote seven-island park in the Gulf of Mexico is a popular Florida day trip destination for nature lovers. Plus, travelers can go on a self-guided tour of the 19th-century coastal fortress Fort Jefferson, located on Garden Key. Keep in mind, Dry Tortugas National Park can only be reached by boat or seaplane, and an entrance fee is required.

The elegant and romantic city of Naples is all about luxury and relaxation. This spot on Florida's Paradise Coast is known for its gorgeous sugar-white sand beaches and incredible golf courses. High-end shops and gourmet restaurants abound, especially along Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South. Plus, flora and fauna lovers have access to all kinds of nature-focused attractions here, such as the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, the Naples Botanical Garden and Clam Pass Park. Those who appreciate art won't want to miss The Baker Museum or one of the city's many art galleries.

Known as the Diving Capital of the World, Key Largo offers access to the only living coral reef in the continental U.S., the country's first undersea park (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park) and the only underwater hotel in the world solely accessible by scuba diving. The largest island in the Florida Keys is also a prime spot for other aquatic activities, including snorkeling, deep-sea fishing and glass-bottom boating. When you're ready to trade your sea legs for solid ground, grab a bite to eat and a rum runner cocktail at one of Key Largo's laid-back eateries.

World-famous attractions such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida make Orlando a year-round tourist destination, but there are many attractions and activities outside of the theme parks . Travelers can shop till they drop at outlet malls, hit the links at one of the area's many golf courses, and get up close and personal with dolphins and stingrays at Discovery Cove. Those without little ones can explore Orlando's revitalized nightlife and restaurant scenes in the downtown area.

Travel to this island in the Florida Keys to relax at a beachside resort and see the southernmost point in the continental United States. Key West is known for its free-spirited locals, colorful conch-style homes and coral reefs ripe for snorkeling and scuba diving. Between boat tours and margaritas, bibliophiles will enjoy visiting the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, where they can learn more about the famous writer and see descendants of his six-toed cat, Snow White. Or, head to Key West's main drag, Duval Street, for its cafes, shops and nightlife.

The largest of Southwest Florida's Ten Thousand Islands, Marco Island is a haven for water sports like boating, fishing and kayaking. Its sunny skies and white sand beaches invite visitors to sunbathe, swim and search for seashells. Those who want a break from the sand can learn about the island's ties to the ancient Calusa Native Americans at the Marco Island Historical Museum or look for manatees, sea turtles and other wild animals in Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Located about 30 miles northeast of Jacksonville, Amelia Island's historical charm and 13 miles of uncrowded beaches make it a top vacation destination. Stroll through Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach, where pirates used to roam and the modern shrimping industry was born. For some fun yet relaxing activities, go horseback riding by the water or play a round of golf on one of the island's highly regarded courses.

This spot along the Florida Panhandle's Emerald Coast is a home away from home for thousands of summer vacationers. Its unique, postcard-worthy white sands made from Appalachian quartz and its clear, bright blue-green water help Destin stand out from other Florida beaches. The nearby Henderson Beach State Park is a must-visit shoreline, with its 30-foot white sand dunes. And Destin's manicured golf courses, optimal fishing conditions and shop- and restaurant-lined boardwalk continue to attract travelers year after year.

Relaxation is a given on Sanibel Island. Severely impacted by Hurricane Ian in 2022, Sanibel Island continues to recover but is once again welcoming tourists. Your first stop here will no doubt be the beach – Bowman's Beach offers prime shelling opportunities and Captiva Island is an excellent place for water sports like snorkeling and kayaking – but it would be a shame to visit the area without also exploring its many art galleries, bike trails and shops. Plus, you'll want to save time for activities like birding and fishing in the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Just plan ahead; lodging options remain limited.

Few places in the world compare to colorful, vibrant Miami Beach. From the one-of-a-kind art deco architecture along Ocean Drive to the scantily clad beachgoers on South Beach, this Miami offshoot attracts everyone from relaxed retirees to night owls. But you'll want to bring along your credit card because those fashionable dance clubs and chic, trendy restaurants don't come cheap. To save some money, consider buying a Go Miami card before your trip to access to some of the area's museums and tours for a fraction of the price.

Florida is almost as famous for its alligators as it is for its beaches and theme parks, and one of the best places to see them is in Everglades National Park. As the largest subtropical wilderness in the country, the park is the world's only environment where alligators and crocodiles coexist. It's also home to rare species like manatees and panthers. The Everglades offers several hiking trails and guided tours for navigating its vast 1.5 million acres. Be sure to visit between November and April (the park's dry season) to enjoy lower temperatures, fewer mosquitos and increased chances of spotting wildlife.

Holding the Guinness World Record for most consecutive days of sunshine, St. Petersburg appeals to all types of travelers. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy St. Pete Beach and the 7 miles of waterfront parks. Away from the shore, downtown St. Petersburg offers plenty of attractions, including a museum dedicated to the works of Salvador Dalí and the Sunken Gardens, the city's oldest living museum. The city also hosts one of the largest Pride events in the U.S. every summer and is home to a large LGBTQ+ community.

If you're looking for sun, sand and superb shopping, Fort Lauderdale is the place to go. Fort Lauderdale features palm-tree-lined beaches, and its 165 miles of waterways and canals have earned it the nickname the Venice of America. Those looking to partake in some retail therapy will find plenty of shops and restaurants on Las Olas Boulevard and in Galleria Fort Lauderdale and Sawgrass Mills, the largest outlet mall in the country. When you're not exercising your wallet or lounging on beautiful Las Olas Beach, don't forget to check out the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Much like its sunny neighbor, St. Petersburg, Tampa attracts visitors with its balmy weather and outdoor pursuits. But as the third largest city in Florida, Tampa also offers a little more action. Visitors can stroll along the lively Tampa Riverwalk to get a glimpse of public art and dazzling light displays, or visit one of the area's museums, such as the Tampa Bay History Center. Those bringing kids along can also explore Glazer Children's Museum or The Florida Aquarium (with a stop at Sparkman Wharf for lunch), or tire them out with some thrills at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Cocoa Beach appeals to everyone from space enthusiasts to surfers. The nearby Kennedy Space Center offers a firsthand look at NASA's shuttles and launch pads. In the northern part of Cocoa Beach, visitors will find one of the best places in Florida to surf and the flagship Ron Jon Surf Shop, the largest surf shop in the world. Here, you'll also find the Florida Surf Museum, where you can learn more about the history of Florida surfing. Vacationers can also sign up for bioluminescent kayaking tours of the area's waterways or play beach volleyball next to the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier.

Vote to Add these Destinations to the Rankings

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The 10 Safest Cities In Florida For 2024

The safest cities in florida are tequesta and sanibel for 2024 using saturday night science..

Don't let a few shark bites and extra large alligators scare you; Florida is safe. The safest places in the Sunshine State are among the safest in America.

And, here at HomeSnacks, we wanted to know where the safest cities in the state that boast 315 days of sunshine a year are located. So, we consulted the numbers and analyzed 208 cities with over 5,000 residents based on crime statistics. We looked at important factors like property and violent crimes per capita for every place from Jacksonville to Miami .

If you live in any of Florida's safest places, you'll be front row to some of the tastiest seafood, many of the southeast's best beaches, and some of the country's friendliest people. There's a reason places like Clearwater and Orlando end up on safest places to live lists. These are not only some of the best places in the state , they are some of Florida's safest.

So, where can you live in Florida, where you don't have to worry about thieves stealing packages from your porch when you're not home? Keep reading.

Here are the 10 safest cities to live in Florida for 2024:

• Tequesta ( Homes For Sale )
• Sanibel ( Homes For Sale )
• Weston ( Homes For Sale )
• Parkland ( Homes For Sale )
• St. Augustine Beach ( Homes For Sale )
• Niceville ( Homes For Sale )
• Tavares ( Homes For Sale )
• Davenport ( Homes For Sale )
• Flagler Beach ( Homes For Sale )
• Bay Harbor Islands ( Homes For Sale )

With so many amazingly safe cities to choose from in Florida, deciding the safest city in Florida had to be left to the numbers.

What city is the safest place to live in Florida for 2024? According to the most recent FBI data, the safest place in Florida is Tequesta.

Check out the rest of the top ten safe Florida cities, or see how your city ranked.

For more reading on safe places to live in and around Florida, check out:

• Safest States In America
• Safest Cities In America
• Best Places To Live In Florida
• Cheapest Places To Live In Florida

Population: 6,193 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 435 (third safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on Tequesta: Data | Crime | Real Estate

With the snorkeling, paddle boarding, and other tempting beach activities at Coral Cove Park, you've got more to fear from sharks than criminals in Tequesta, Florida. The city gets top marks with the 4th and 5th lowest statewide rates of property and violent crime state respectively. And with only 2 violent crimes and 35 property crimes in the last year of available data, you can be pretty sure that those "Florida man" headline memes aren't anyone from Tequesta.

Tequesta is the northernmost municipality in the Miami metro area, and is just north of West Palm Beach.

Population: 7,511 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 26 (fourth safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 505 (fifth safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on Sanibel: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Sanibel is a city in Lee County, Florida, on Sanibel Island -- go figure.

There's barely any property crime here, so no one will steal your daiquiri by the pool.

Additionally, it's good to that Sanibel is a barrier island - a collection of sand on the leeward side of the more solid coral-rock of Pine Island - or a barrier to crime.

Population: 71,815 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 50 (ninth safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 427 (second safest) Murders: 1 Murders Per 100k: 1 More on Weston: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Weston ranks as the third safest city in Florida for 2024 based on a second safest ranking for property crime in the state.

Weston is a master planned suburban community in Broward County and it doesn't rank so shabby for violent crime either placing as the ninth safest in Florida.

Established as a city in 1996, much of the community was developed by Arvida/JMB Realty and is located near the western developmental boundary of Broward County. It is the most western city in Broward County, and its entire west side is next to the Everglades.

Population: 35,773 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 22 (second safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 561 (ninth safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on Parkland: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Well, if you paid any attention to the news the last couple of years, you've heard of Parkland because of the mass shooting at the local high school. So you're probably asking yourself, wtf? Why is this here?

The answer? School shootings don't really indicate how safe a place really is.

It's also a testament to how much of a surprise the shooting was here -- Parkland is a super safe community with little crime overall.

Parkland is a city in Broward County, Florida.

Population: 7,100 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 28 (fifth safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 535 (seventh safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on St. Augustine Beach: Data | Crime | Real Estate

St. Augustine Beach, a historical city on the northeast coast of Florida in St. Johns County, boasts the title of the fifth safest place to live in the region with a population of 7,100. Its crime rates are substantially below state averages, including 2 incidents of murder, rape, and robbery. The city's low numbers for violent crime, at 28/100k people violent crimes per capita, and property crime, at 535/100k people property crimes per capita, highlight the effectiveness of local law enforcement.

Only 2 cases of assault have been reported, reinforcing St. Augustine Beach's status as one of the most secure communities in Florida.

Population: 16,345 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 55 (12th safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 293 (safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on Niceville: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Holding the title of the sixth safest city in Florida, Niceville is a serene community in Okaloosa County with a population of 16,345. Known for its virtually nonexistent murder and robbery rates, the city also has impressively low instances of assault, leading to a rate of 55/100k people violent crimes per capita.

Formerly called Boggy, Niceville's history stretches back to its postal service inception in 1868. Its proximity to Eglin Air Force Base adds strategic value, while its top rank in property safety with a low 48 incidents of property crime lead to #1 property crime rank showcases its overall security within the Fort Walton Beach--Crestview--Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Population: 20,241 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 59 (14th safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 459 (fourth safest) Murders: 1 Murders Per 100k: 4 More on Tavares: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Founded by Alexander St. Clair-Abrams in 1880, Tavares, the county seat of Lake County, boasts a position as the seventh safest city in Florida. Its strategic location between Lake Eustis and Lake Dora contributes to a low 518/100k people crimes per capita, with a remarkable violent crime per capita rate of 59/100k people that includes rare occurrences of murder and robbery.

Tavares's commitment to safety is further highlighted by its low property crime count at 93, earning it the fourth safest and 14th safest ranks for property and violent crimes, respectively.

Population: 12,393 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 48 (eighth safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 653 (12th safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on Davenport: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Davenport, in Polk County, ranks eighth in statewide safety with 0 murders and a low violent crime rate of 48/100k people per capita. Holding the 12th safest spot for property crime safety, this former military outpost from the Second Seminole War has transformed from Fort Davenport into a peaceful city of 12,393. It now boasts an impressively low 702/100k people, securing its place as the 12th safest city for overall crime rates.

Population: 5,361 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 55 (13th safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 615 (11th safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on Flagler Beach: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Located just up the coast from Daytona Beach , Flagler Beach is a whole lot safer than its southern neighbor.

You don't have to worry about someone stealing your day's catch from the Flagler Beach fishing pier because the city recorded one of the lowest property crime rates in Florida over 2022.

Additionally, Flagler Beach only had 3 violent crimes over the year. So choose Flagler Beach instead of Daytona Beach, one of Florida's most dangerous cities , if you're keen on moving to Florida's east coast.

Population: 5,644 Violent Crimes Per 100k: 53 (11th safest) Property Crimes Per 100k: 726 (15th safest) Murders: 0 Murders Per 100k: 0 More on Bay Harbor Islands: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Bay Harbor Islands is situated just north of the much more dangerous Miami Beach .

Bay Harbor Islands has golf courses, gourmet markets, and safety -- in short, everything you need for a high quality of life.

There were only 3 violent crimes committed in Bay Harbor Islands over 2022, and fewer than one property crime each month. Overall, there's very little to worry about, crime-wise, in Bay Harbor Islands making it a great place to vacation, start a family, or retire.

Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in Florida for 2024

While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in Florida are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in Florida.

Specifically, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the FBI's Uniform Crime Report , which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:

• Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
• Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)

For example, there were 27 crimes committed in Tequesta, with a reported population of 6,193. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0044, which translates into a 1 in 229 chance of being the victim of a crime.

We only looked at Florida cities that have populations of more than 5,000. This filter left us with 208 of the biggest cities in Florida to rank.

We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 208 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.

Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score, "The Safest Place In Florida," with any ties going to the bigger city.

The safest city in Florida , based on our criteria, is Tequesta. The most dangerous city in Florida ? Florida City, where residents had a 1 in 11 chance of being the victim of a crime.

This article has been update for 2024. This report marks our tenth time ranking the safest places to live in Florida . All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2022 report.

Summary: The Safest Cities In The Sunshine State

Looking at the data, you can tell that Tequesta is as safe as they come in Florida, according to science and data.

But as most Florida residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.

The safest places in Florida are .

Here's a look at the most dangerous cities in Florida according to the data:

• Florida City
• Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
• Best Places To Buy A House In Florida
• Best Places To Retire In Florida

Where Are The 10 Safest Cities In Florida For 2024?

Breaking down crime in the safest and most dangerous cities in florida.

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn .

More About HomeSnacks

We founded HomeSnacks to provide insights your real estate agent would neglect to mention.

By presenting data from presentable sources and utlizing Saturday Night Science , we provide detailed insights into cities and neighborhoods.

Learn more about Nick and Chris .

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Florida for Boomers

Guide to Florida Retirement Communities and Condos

Safest Places to Retire in Florida

by Ryan Erisman | Updated: July 21, 2024

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida's total crime rate has gone down by more than 60% since 1998.

• Bottom line: It has never been safer to live in Florida than it is right now.

Each year the FBI releases crime data for the previous year for all Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA's) in the United States, including the 22 MSA's in Florida.

I thought it would be interesting to crunch their numbers and see which places in Florida may actually be the safest to live and retire in.

The FBI data is broken down into 9 different categories:

• Violent crime
• Murder and non-negligent manslaughter
• Aggravated assault
• Property Crime
• Larceny-theft
• Motor vehicle theft

The data is most easily digested when distilled into a “Rate per 100,000 inhabitants”.

So, to find the safest places to live and retire in Florida, we simply have to look at the areas with the lowest number of crime incidents (rate) per 100,000 inhabitants.

Before we get to the numbers though, keep in mind that a seemingly high crime rate for one M.S.A. does not mean the entire area is unsafe.

I've lived in areas #11 and #16 almost my entire life, and taken as a whole, I would certainly not consider them unsafe.

Crime tends to occur most frequently in the more densely populated areas, and most of the communities you'll be looking at for retirement are outside of those areas.

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I think what you’ll find that most 55+ communities are just as safe (or even safer due to lower populations) than even the “safest” M.S.A.’s as a whole. 

For a number of reasons, the FBI cautions against using their data to compile rankings, so try not to consider what follows as “rankings” per se.

Try to look at it as “I've just put them in order for you to make them easier to read”. 😉

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

“Florida's Friendliest Hometown” is Also the Safest

The Villages calls itself “Florida's Friendliest Hometown” and I'm not surprised at all to see that The Villages, FL M.S.A came out on top.

While The Villages M.S.A. does include some areas that are not within The Villages retirement community, most of it is comprised of 55+ residents peacefully enjoying the good life.

While there have been some high profile crimes in The Villages over the last decade, most of the crimes that take place there involve DUI's, domestic disturbances, and theft.

Latitude Margaritaville is probably the second most popular retirement community this year, and the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL M.S.A., where it is located had a healthy drop of 669 crimes vs 2019.

Thoughts or Comments?

Leave a reply in the comment section down below.

Reader Interactions

June 21, 2022 at 4:17 pm

Thank you for the information 😊

October 23, 2021 at 10:58 am

What about Cities in Palm Beach County, like Boynton Beach, Delray, Boca Raton, etc.?

October 23, 2021 at 11:21 am

These roll up into the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area (M.S.A.).

But, you can also look at what’s called the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metropolitan District (M.D.) and the rate there per 100k inhabitants is 4,457 which, when compared to the M.S.A.’s on this list, would put it between the 15th and 16th spots.

October 23, 2021 at 9:58 am

How about Zero crime? Sick of all the crime everywhere.

October 23, 2021 at 9:41 am

I think Arlington Ridge Retirement Community in Leesburg is one of the safest in Florida.

October 23, 2021 at 9:18 am

Thx for taking the time to document this for us! 👍

December 4, 2020 at 4:17 pm

Great info, thank you!

December 4, 2020 at 9:56 am

Great information! Safety is always a top factor when moving. Thanks!

July 28, 2020 at 7:34 am

Thanks for your efforts and report 😉

February 23, 2020 at 9:12 am

Good info Safety is the first concern in deciding retirement place

February 22, 2020 at 6:28 pm

Good to know. It is one of the important thing to be considered by anyone that is looking to relocate. Thanks!!!

February 22, 2020 at 1:08 pm

Great info….. moving to one of these areas

February 22, 2020 at 10:48 am

thought clearwater was one of the safest

December 5, 2020 at 12:56 pm

Clearwater is #9 – they are part of Tampa – St. Petersburg – Clearwater, MSA Love that area.

February 22, 2020 at 9:07 am

What about 55+ communities in Ocala, Fl, like On Top of the World?

February 22, 2020 at 3:04 pm

I think you’ll find that most 55+ communities like OTOTW are as safe (or even safer due to lower populations) than even the “safest” M.S.A.’s as a whole. Again, as mentioned in the article, they tend to be located in areas where less crime occurs.

December 4, 2020 at 8:46 am

Great news. We’re looking to move to the areas of Port Orange to Ormond Beach. Glad to see the improvement.

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11 florida towns on safest cities in america list for 2022, eleven florida cities are ranked on a safest cities in the u.s. list, with personal and financial safety among the key factors..

Deb Belt , Patch Staff

FLORIDA — Eleven Florida communities — including Tampa, St. Pete, Orlando and Miami — rank among the safest cities in the U.S.

With the U.S. experiencing over 500 mass shootings this year and the COVID-19 pandemic persisting, the personal-finance website WalletHub just released its report on 2022's Safest Cities in America .

"People can feel unsafe in other ways, too," the study's authors said. "Aside from the types of hazards that can cause bodily injury or other physical harm, taking out an unaffordable second mortgage, forgoing health insurance or even visiting unsecured websites are also ways people run into danger. One of the biggest worries for many people right now is the cost of inflation, which reached a four-decade high this year and threatens Americans’ financial safety."

Find out what's happening in Across Florida with free, real-time updates from Patch.

Columbia, Maryland — located midway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. — was named the safest city in the country.

Here are the Florida cities that made the list:

• No. 25, Pembroke Pines
• No. 27, Cape Coral
• No. 57, Hialeah
• No. 61, Tampa
• No. 71, Tallahassee
• No. 101, Port St. Lucie
• No. 105, Jacksonville
• No. 109, Miami
• No. 150, St. Petersburg
• No. 154, Orlando
• No. 181, Fort Lauderdale

Top criteria considered were home and community safety, natural-disaster risk, and financial safety.

To determine where Americans can feel most protected against life’s hazards, including nonphysical forms of danger, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 42 key metrics. The data set ranges from the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and even road quality.

"No one can avoid all danger, however, and we take on a certain level of risk based on where we choose to live," the WalletHub study concluded. "Some cities are simply better at protecting their residents from harm."

Here are the safest cities in the U.S., according to WalletHub:

• Columbia, MD
• Portland, ME
• Warwick, RI
• Yonkers, NY
• Gilbert, AZ
• Burlington, VT
• Raleigh, NC
• Lewiston, ME

The full report with the methodology used and all other U.S. cities that made the list can be found here .

Methodology

In order to determine the safest cities in which to live, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Home & Community Safety, 2) Natural-Disaster Risk, and 3) Financial Safety.

We evaluated those dimensions using 42 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of safety.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the city proper in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

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Top 5 Safest cities in Florida with the Best quality of life – 2024

• Last updated on: January 31, 2024

Safety is just one of the many things to consider when you plan to move to Florida . Despite its reputation for not being the safest state, it still provides some secluded safe cities to live in the US. Known for its sandy beaches and abundant golf courses, it offers residents an active outdoor lifestyle. 

Florida offers a variety of options, from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast, and from South to Central Florida. Each area presents a unique blend of amenities and community, making it ideal for families and retirees alike.

Are you looking for a small city in Florida where you can feel comfortable and safe, surrounded by convenient amenities? We’ve got you covered! Below are the five safest cities in Florida with the best quality of life in 2024.

Methodology

Our ranking methodology is based on a careful analysis of crime rates derived from the Miami-Dade Official Website from June to November 2023. This map shows the data for crimes such as arson, assault, burglary, disturbing the peace, drugs/alcohol violations, driving under the influence, fraud, homicide, motor vehicle theft, robbery, sex crimes, theft/larceny, vandalism, vehicle break-in/theft, and weapons. CrimeMapping.com provides an overview of designated crimes within law enforcement agencies.

The content is not exhaustive, as agencies can customize the displayed crime types and codes. Incidents must be reported before appearing on the website, leading to potential delays. Unreported or non-subscribed agency incidents may not be included. Technical issues can also affect data updates on the site. To ensure accuracy, we calculated the average number of various crimes per 1000 people.

The “best quality of life” aspect is measured based on feedback from real people who have moved to this area in our database or real people from trusted online forums. More specifically, we look for positive feedback on job opportunities, quality of education, quality of healthcare, feeling of safety, public transportation, the environment (cleanliness), as well as the availability of recreational facilities and parks.

Safest cities in Florida

1. marco island.

• Ideal for retirees

• Population: 16,172
• Crime Rate: 0 crimes per 1,000 people

Marco Island, situated in southwest Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, is renowned for its beautiful beaches, luxury condominiums, and elegant homes. With a primarily couples-based household composition and a population typically in their 60s to mid-80s, residents enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, engaging in activities like kayaking and fishing at Tigertail and South Marco Beach.

The island is renowned for its excellent shopping, and convenient access to groceries. However, it is a car-dependent neighborhood. It has reported a crime rate of 0 crimes per 1,000 people , indicating a strong sense of safety within the community.

Walk Score (Dec 2023) ,  Local Logic (Nov 2023) , Census.gov (Dec 2022) & Crime Mapping (Dec 2016)

Marco Island, Florida

2. Lynn Haven

• Excellent schools nearby

• Population: 20,044

Lynn Haven, in Bay County just north of Panama City, stands out as one of the safest cities to live in Florida, with a reported crime rate of 0 crimes per 1,000 people . Characterized by single-detached houses along the water, providing incredible coastal views. Perfect for water enthusiasts and to raise a family, it offers outdoor activities, sunny weather, and top-rated public schools.

Lynn Haven is home to six public schools and two charter schools, with the Rising Leaders Academy ranking as the number 1 public high school in Florida. The city offers easy access to freeways, with just a 20-minute drive to Panama City Beach. Additionally, there are multiple trails suitable for biking or jogging.

Niche (Dec 2023) , City of Flynn Haven (Dec 2023 ) , Census.gov (Dec 2022) & Crime Mapping (Dec 2016)

Lynn Haven, Florida

• Easy access to major roads

• Population: 19,618

Naples, a serene city on Florida’s Gulf of Mexico, is renowned for its calm white sandy beaches and Naples Pier, ideal for fishing and dolphin watching. With nearly 90 golf courses, it holds the title of the golf capital. Residents here enjoy a high-quality lifestyle, with access to top-rated restaurants, over 100 art galleries, and shopping centers in areas such as Third Street South and The Avenues.

In Naples, residents in their 60s to mid-70s enjoy spacious apartments and detached houses. The city offers over 30-miles of pedestrian and bicycle-friendly pathways. It is easily reachable via Interstate 75 for a 49-min drive to Fort Myers. Emphasizing safety, it maintains a low crime rate of 0 crimes per 1,000 people .

City of Naples (Dec 2023) ,  Local Logic (Nov 2023) , Census.gov (Dec 2022) & Crime Mapping (Dec 2016)

Naples, Florida

4. Key Biscayne

• Charming family friendly community

• Population: 14,487

Key Biscayne is conveniently situated between two major parks, Crandon Park to the north and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to the south, surrounded by beautiful beaches. It is an ideal city for families to enjoy nature, boating, and water sports in Biscayne Bay, and just a 15-minute drive to Downtown Miami.

Residents describe it as a safe community, ideal for raising kids, and offering the highest quality of life in South Florida. It provides a peaceful escape from the city’s bustle and South Beach’s party vibe. This luxury area primarily features large apartments and houses. It has a reported crime rate of 0 crimes per 1,000 people .

Key Biscayne Gov (Dec 2023) , Local Logic (Nov 2023) , City Data (Dec 2022) & Crime Mapping (Dec 2016)

Key Biscayne, Florida

5. Sebastian

• Perfect for a tranquil lifestyle

• Population: 26,364
• Crime Rate: 0.15 crimes per 1,000 people

Sebastian, a coastal city in Indian River County, stands out as one of the most populous cities on the list. Located along the Atlantic coast, it offers natural beauty and a rich history. Recognized for fishing, skydiving, and surfing on the East Coast, it is ideal for eco-lovers, home to Pelican Island for birding and wildlife viewing.

With easy access to bustling cities like Melbourne (29-minute drive) and Vero Beach (23-minute drive) via Dixie Hwy, where residents find opportunities for dining and entertainment. They describe it as quiet, safe, with a small-town vibe. It has a reported crime rate of 0.15 crimes per 1,000 people , making it one of the safest places to live in Florida.

City of Sebastian (Dec 2023) , & Local Logic (Nov 2023)

Sebastian, Florida

Safety is a priority no matter where you live, and these cities in Florida are the top picks for your safety. Offering beautiful beaches and a rich history, this list provides an ideal environment for you. Whether you want to start a family and raise children or are looking to retire in the tranquility of the Sunshine State, these are some of the safest cities in Florida with the best quality of life.

Choosing the right coastal city requires patience, so be sure to carefully review this list before making your final decision. Planning a move to Florida soon? Discover the best moving companies in Miami !

Last year’s ranking (2023)

• Marco Island
• North Palm Beach
• Key Biscayne
• Satellite Beach

Our rankings are meticulously curated, considering affordability and quality of life. It’s important to highlight that certain places were excluded from last year’s lists due to insufficient rental data. Moreover, entries with higher average housing prices in the previous year were excluded from the current rankings. We encourage readers to weigh these rankings in light of their individual needs and preferences for a more informed decision-making process.

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2024 Safe Places to Live in Florida

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Health & outdoors

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1-25 of 145 results

Coral Gables

• Suburb of Miami, FL
• · Rating 4.28 out of 5   136 reviews
• grade  A+ Overall Niche Grade
• grade  B+ Public Schools
• grade  B Crime & Safety
• Population 49,696

#38 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Miami, FL. 136 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Coral Gables has a lot to offer . It is a unique community as it has a European vibe to it. Living in there you step outside and you can grocery shop, go to a cafe, have dinner and hit a few... Read 136 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 49,696,

Winter Park

• Suburb of Orlando, FL
• · Rating 4.35 out of 5   243 reviews
• grade  A Public Schools
• grade  B minus Crime & Safety
• Population 29,985

#42 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Orlando, FL. 243 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says I like living in Winter Park. I like the activities that I can do because there are so many places to go to throughout the day and it's close by to other cities. There are many city events that they... Read 243 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 29,985,

• · Rating 4.32 out of 5   337 reviews
• Population 39,552

#43 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Orlando, FL. 337 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Oviedo is a quiet, safe community that offers many outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, biking, running. Orlando speed world is about 10 mins from Oviedo for those that love drag races. New... Read 337 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 39,552,

North Broward Preparatory School

• Private School ·
• COCONUT CREEK, FL ·
• · Rating 4.48 out of 5   278

Miami Arts Charter School

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FL ·
• · Rating 3.88 out of 5   256

Canterbury School of Florida

• ST. PETERSBURG, FL ·
• · Rating 3.9 out of 5   87
• · Rating 4.03 out of 5   74 reviews
• grade  A minus Public Schools
• Population 18,279

#44 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Miami, FL. 74 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Pinecrest is a beautiful, family oriented and safe community. The city offers its own police, a library, a gym, and public parks and sports courts. The public school system is quite good as well. I... Read 74 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 18,279,

• Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL
• · Rating 4.26 out of 5   458 reviews
• Population 68,029

#51 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL. 458 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Living in Weston, FL has been an amazing experience for me and my family. The neighborhood feels super safe and welcoming, and the schools are top-notch—everything you’d want in a great suburb. One... Read 458 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 68,029,

Palmetto Bay

• · Rating 4.17 out of 5   82 reviews
• Population 24,267

#53 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Miami, FL. 82 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says It’s been very pleasant living here, I have been her for over a decade now. Very quiet, very safe. One of the best neighborhoods in Miami! Read 82 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 24,267,

• · Rating 4.14 out of 5   112 reviews
• Population 34,832

#58 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL. 112 Niche users give it an average review of 4.1 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Parkland is an amazing area! The public schools are immaculate, the education offered is equivalent to one of a private school. Great proximity to other great cities like Boca Raton and Ft.... Read 112 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 34,832,

• · Rating 4.35 out of 5   139 reviews
• Population 16,636

#62 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Orlando, FL. 139 Niche users give it an average review of 4.4 stars. Featured Review: Former Resident says Lake Mary isn’t bad at all. I feel like I don’t fit in entirely but it’s nice… Maybe a little too nice lol No, Lake Mary is a great place to live. A little boring, definitely nice for families… I’m... Read 139 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 16,636,

• · Rating 4.41 out of 5   70 reviews
• Population 19,266

#63 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Orlando, FL. 70 Niche users give it an average review of 4.4 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says I moved into my Step-Dad's house, right in the heart of Maitland, when I was young. I remember I was going into the fourth grade, and at first, I was upset that I had to switch schools. My feelings... Read 70 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 19,266,

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Highland Beach

• · Rating 4.65 out of 5   20 reviews
• grade  A minus Crime & Safety
• Population 4,261

#67 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL. 20 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars. Featured Review: Former Resident says So this place is really quiet and full of retired people. You need to know this before you go there as a family but you can drive to Boca or Delray to meet people or get services. Read 20 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 4,261,

Winter Springs

• · Rating 4.1 out of 5   205 reviews
• Population 38,205

#77 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Orlando, FL. 205 Niche users give it an average review of 4.1 stars. Featured Review: Former Resident says Winter Springs Florida has a multitude of safe and quiet neighborhoods that have back roads to many different cities in Central Florida. About 30-minute ride to the Orlando International Airport. A... Read 205 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 38,205,

Melbourne Beach

• grade  B+ Crime & Safety
• Population 3,214

#82 Best Places to Live in Florida. 17 Niche users give it an average review of 4.9 stars. Featured Review: Visitor says I would only stay in Vanderbilt beach Florida before. But that side of Florida has gotten way too busy for me. I vacation now in Melbourne Beach. Quiet, private, beautiful scenery. Bring a camera... Read 17 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 3,214,

Gulf Breeze

• Suburb in Florida
• · Rating 4.21 out of 5   48 reviews
• Population 6,372

#87 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb in Florida. 48 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says I love living in Gulf Breeze! The schools are great and there is much to do. Gulf Breeze has beautiful beaches and many fun activities. Read 48 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 6,372,

• Town in Florida
• · Rating 4.08 out of 5   542 reviews
• Population 97,980

#95 Best Places to Live in Florida. Town in Florida. 542 Niche users give it an average review of 4.1 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says I was born and raised here in Boca Raton, so it truly is my home. I was eager to leave to go away for college back in 2019, and I am so glad I did because it made me truly appreciate my hometown more... Read 542 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 97,980,

Key Biscayne

• · Rating 4.71 out of 5   28 reviews
• Population 14,572

#100 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Miami, FL. 28 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Key Biscayne is a very family oriented town of about 13,000 people. I've been living here for 6 years now and have loved my time here. Both the K-12 and local High School are great schools and create... Read 28 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 14,572,

Cooper City

• · Rating 4.2 out of 5   122 reviews
• Population 34,046

#102 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL. 122 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Nestled in Florida, Cooper City exudes small-town charm with its welcoming vibe and tight-knit community. Despite its size, this town offers modern amenities alongside a strong sense of community... Read 122 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A+, Population: 34,046,

• · Rating 4.46 out of 5   146 reviews
• grade  A Overall Niche Grade
• Population 60,926

#129 Best Places to Live in Florida. Town in Florida. 146 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Jupiter is a true beach town. The beach is everywhere you go! There are many cute and affordable cafeś which every local loves! Read 146 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 60,926,

Safety Harbor

• Suburb of St. Petersburg, FL
• · Rating 4.23 out of 5   74 reviews
• grade  B Public Schools
• Population 17,087

#140 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of St. Petersburg, FL. 74 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Safety Harbor is the quaintest, little gem of a town in the heart of Tampa Bay! It boasts an array of family-friendly restaurants, shops, parks and evening activities. Third Friday on Main Street is... Read 74 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 17,087,

• · Rating 4.22 out of 5   67 reviews
• Population 39,621

#143 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Miami, FL. 67 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says I enjoy living in Aventura with all of your needs being very close, from hospitals to shopping. I do believe it is a safe place to live but traffic is probably the worst around here starting from... Read 67 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 39,621,

• · Rating 4.49 out of 5   92 reviews
• Population 3,043

#149 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Orlando, FL. 92 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says I have grown up in Windermere, FL my whole life. This small, quaint town is surrounded by lakes and dirt roads, and is full of people who have lived here for 30+ years. For example, my mother has... Read 92 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 3,043,

• · Rating 4.2 out of 5   413 reviews
• Population 19,315

#153 Best Places to Live in Florida. Town in Florida. 413 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Naples is a great place to live if you love the beach and good food! We have lots of incredible restaurants, and many of them are near the water. The population grows exponentially during the winter... Read 413 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 19,315,

Palm Beach Gardens

• · Rating 3.95 out of 5   118 reviews
• Population 59,088

#158 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL. 118 Niche users give it an average review of 3.9 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Palm Beach Gardens area is overall peaceful when it comes to communities and public areas. Other than the occasional safety issue in some public plazas and open communities. It also has a close... Read 118 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 59,088,

• Review your area

West Melbourne

• Population 26,762

#159 Best Places to Live in Florida. 99 Niche users give it an average review of 3.6 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says I like Melbourne becasue there are lots of stores near me, so the commute is quick, but recently more people have been traveling here, making the town more crowded. Read 99 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 26,762,

Indian Harbour Beach

• Population 8,944

#169 Best Places to Live in Florida. 19 Niche users give it an average review of 4.1 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says It is a very small town, and not a lot goes on. Barely any crime takes place here and the schools are great. Read 19 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 8,944,

• · Rating 5 out of 5   6 reviews
• Population 3,488

#170 Best Places to Live in Florida. Suburb of Orlando, FL. 6 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Oakland is a wonderful place to live with easy access to Clermont shopping and Winter Garden dining and night life. Most of Oakland can access downtown winter garden via golf cart or bike on the West... Read 6 reviews. Overall Niche Grade: A, Population: 3,488,

Westminster Academy

• FORT LAUDERDALE, FL ·
• · Rating 4.04 out of 5   164

Primer Microschools - Fort Lauderdale

• · Rating 5 out of 5   3

Carrollwood Day School

• TAMPA, FL ·
• · Rating 4.37 out of 5   118

Showing results 1 through 25 of 145

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10 SAFEST CITIES IN FLORIDA

By   Mike Miller    Updated January 20, 2022

The 10 safest cities in Florida are determined each year by the National Council for Home Safety and Security . 

Their choices are based on total crimes, violent crimes, and property crimes.

The cities are statistically rated by crime rate per 1000 residents, violent crimes per 1000, and property crimes per 1000.

10 SAFEST FLORIDA CITIES IN 2021

• Satellite Beach
• Key Biscayne
• Marco Island
• North Palm Beach

CRIME STATISTICS FOR 10 SAFEST CITIES IN 2021

OUR LIST OF 10 SAFEST CITIES

We do not disagree with the list above.  Most of the towns on our  list are still on the 2021 list, but things change year by year. 

A couple of serious crimes in a smaller town can change it's ranking.  For example, Parkland was off the list for a time because of the mass shootings at the local school.

These are our 10 favorite consistently safe Florida cities.

1 .  SATELLITE BEACH is an  ocean front town in Brevard County on the barrier island between the Banana River and Atlantic Ocean, not far south of Cocoa Beach.  Read more about Satellite Beach.

2 .  KEY BISCAYNE is an island in Biscayne Bay in the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Area.  It is connected to the mainland by the Rickenbacker Causeway. Read more about Key Biscyane.

3 .  MARCO ISLAND was a residential and resort community developed in the 1960s in a huge dredge and fill operation that created thousands of waterfront lots.  Read more about Marco Island.

4 .  NAPLES is on the Gulf coast in Southwest Florida and has become an upscale residential and tourism based community.  The population is highest during the winter.  Read more about Naples.

5 .  NORTH PALM BEACH is in northern Palm Beach County.  It is a planned village that won a national award in 1956 as the best planned community.  Read more about N. Palm Beach. 

6 .   WESTON  is on the west of Fort Lauderdale on the eastern edge of the Florida Everglades.  It is a modern well planned city founded in 1996.   Read more about Weston. 

7. SEBASTIAN is in Central East Florida on the mainland north of Vero Beach. It is a tourist and fishing village near Sebastian Inlet. Read more about Sebastian.

8 .  LAKE MARY is a suburb of the greater Orlando area and was incorporated in 1973.  Many national businesses have their headquarters in the Heathrow area of the city.  Read more about Lake Mary.

9 .  ST. CLOUD is in Osceola County just west of Kissimmee on US-192.  It is an old town that was settled by members of the Grand Army of the Republic.  Read more about St. Cloud.

10 .  PUNTA GORDA is in Southwest Florida on Charlotte Harbor across from the giant sprawling community of Port Charlotte.  It is a historic town.  Read more about Punta Gorda.

Our Facebook page has more than 130,800  followers who love off the beaten path Florida: towns, tourist attractions, maps, lodging, food, festivals, scenic road trips, day trips, history, culture, nostalgia, and more.   

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By Mike Miller, Copyright 2009-2024 Florida-Back-Roads-Travel.com

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Florida Back Roads Travel is not affiliated with or endorsed by Backroads, a California-based tour operator which arranges and conducts travel programs throughout the world.

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No beating the heat: 7 cities that could soon be uninhabitable with high temps, oregon has the best waterfall hike in the us, read update.

Florida ranks among the most popular destinations within the U.S. and it's easy to understand why, as the estate offers a combination of pristine and safe beaches. This list was updated with other beaches that have these qualities.

Nothing says summer like a road trip to the beach . When that beach is in Florida, be prepared to be wowed, and very sweaty! Florida is home to a vast array of beautiful beaches, many of which are ideal for tourists in search of a safe and fun family beach vacation. When checking the safest beaches in Florida, it’s important to consider things like low crime rates, lifeguard presence, sheltered areas, clean water, gentle surf, and soft sand. Florida’s best beaches tick all of these boxes and more.

Whether travelers are hoping to revel in the calm, warm waters of a Gulf of Mexico beach on Marco Island or snorkel around the cooler, Atlantic beaches in St. Augustine or Fort Lauderdale, they’re sure to find a perfect beach to visit for their summer holiday . Here are the 10 safest beaches in Florida to visit in summer.

UPDATE: 2023/07/09 20:39 EST BY LUANA FERREIRA

RELATED: 10 Things To Do In Naples: Complete Guide To Florida's Paradise Coast

Things To Know About Traveling To Florida In Summer

Visiting Florida in the summer comes with both pros and cons. The upside includes lower prices on everything from airfare to hotel rooms, plus fewer people crowding the state’s beautiful beaches. The downside includes hot, humid weather, and the risk of hurricanes.

14 Honeymoon Island State Park

Honeymoon Island State Park, Florida's most beloved park, offers a captivating coastal escape and an array of things to do . Its pristine beach, stretching for four miles, boasts sugary white sands and crystal-clear turquoise waters, creating an idyllic setting for relaxation and recreation. With lifeguards on duty, visitors can enjoy swimming, sunbathing, and beachcombing with peace of mind. The park's natural beauty extends beyond the shoreline, featuring lush vegetation, nature trails, and abundant wildlife, including ospreys and gopher tortoises. Honeymoon Island State Park provides a serene sanctuary where visitors can unwind, explore nature, and create lasting memories amidst Florida's coastal wonders.

13 Bahia Honda State Park

Bahia Honda State Park, located in Big Pine Key, has a pristine beach that combines

soft, white sands and inviting turquoise waters. It’s an excellent destination for travelers looking for a spot for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing.

It spans a considerable length, allowing ample space for visitors to relax and enjoy the coastal beauty. Keep in mind that there is an entrance fee to access the park, which helps with the upkeep of facilities and conservation efforts. Additionally, parking is available within the park grounds, ensuring convenient access to the beach and other amenities.

12 Pensacola Beach

Suffers looking for an excellent destination in Florida should check the Pensacola Beach.

With its wide sandy shoreline and gentle surf, it provides an ideal setting for swimming, sunbathing, and beach sports. Visitors can enjoy fishing from the pier or exploring the nearby Gulf Islands National Seashore.

The beach area offers various amenities, including restrooms, picnic areas, and beach rentals. Parking is available, although it may get crowded during peak seasons. Additionally, the beach is conveniently located near restaurants, shops, and entertainment options, making it a vibrant and accessible destination for beachgoers.

11 St. Andrews State Park

There are many reasons to visit St. Andrews State Park, nestled within Panama City Beach. The park features 1.5-mile of beaches, known for its safety and also for being an strategic spot for swimming and fishing .

With designated areas for fishing, sunbathing, and picnicking, there are ample options for relaxation and enjoyment. The park provides clean restrooms, outdoor showers, and shaded picnic areas. Visitors can access the beach through designated parking areas, and there is an entrance fee to access the park. Lifeguards are on duty, ensuring a safe beach experience for all.

10 Venice Beach

Venice Beach is one of the best beach towns on the gulf coast of Florida . It’s also home to 14 miles of beautiful beaches. Its namesake, Venice Beach , is one of the best places to visit with inquisitive kids. Known as the “shark tooth capital of the world,” this pretty beach is a perfect place to hunt for these fossilized treasures.

As one of the most popular beaches in the area, there are plenty of facilities on hand to enhance a day-long stay. A fishing pier, boardwalk, restrooms, concession stand, pavilion, and beach volleyball courts make it easy to settle in for hours.

Also, a reef is located not far from shore, making this an optimal place to go snorkeling or scuba diving. Not a fan of underwater adventure? Look to the horizon; there are multiple dolphins and turtles who call this beach home and love to make an appearance.

9 Fort Lauderdale Beach

Fort Lauderdale is one of the most-visited cities in Florida, receiving over 13 million tourists each year . One of the city’s best attractions lies on its eastern shore—Fort Lauderdale Beach. While the city boasts 24 miles of silky, golden sand, this beach is one of the best beaches in Fort Lauderdale .

The sand here is clean and golden, stretching for seven miles. It is lined by palm trees and a lengthy boardwalk perfect for rollerblading, walking, or people-watching.

While on the beach, tourists can work on their tans, snorkel offshore, swim, fish, or bury each other in the sand. Lifeguards are on hand to be sure every visit is a safe one and there are plenty of picnic tables to enjoy a meal.

When hunger strikes, there is a variety of nearby restaurants to enjoy, as well as a bevy of shops. There’s no lack of great hotels in the vicinity either , so be prepared to stay for a night (or three).

8 Sanibel Island Beaches

Sanibel Island is the perfect place to visit to get away from it all. Those looking to unplug and unwind will settle in easily to this island’s laid-back lifestyle. Shelling is one of the best things to do on Sanibel Island, especially for those traveling with kids.

In fact, Sanibel Island has been deemed one of the best shelling spots in North America .

Bowman’s Beach is one of the island’s best beaches for shelling. A haven for families looking for a one-stop-shop for a fun day out, this beach boasts facilities like restrooms, showers, grills, and picnic tables, as well as a playground and a boat launch for kayaks and canoes.

Sanibel Lighthouse Beach Park is another winner when it comes to safe beaches. The sand here is soft, the water is warm and generally calm, and there’s a 19th-century lighthouse to use as a backdrop for selfies.

While on the beach, why not search for buried treasure ? Rumor has it that the famous pirate, Black Cesar may have hidden his loot here .

Related: Why Sanibel Island, Florida Is Your Perfect Spring Break Destination

7 Key Biscayne

Key Biscayne is an upscale barrier isle set just over 20 minutes off the southern coast of Miami , and it is often referred to as a Miami Beach. Its best feature is its elysian locale, sandwiched between two parks—Crandon Park to the north and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in the south.

Both feature sheltered beaches ideal for families who like to splash safely by the shore.

The beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is an optimal place to enjoy fun water activities like kayaking, fishing, and snorkeling. It is also home to the iconic Cape Florida Light, which is the oldest standing structure in the Miami-Dade area.

Crandon Park Beach is the place to be for those in need of constant entertainment on their Florida beach vacation. This two-mile stretch of sand lies close to the park’s tennis center, golf course, nature center, and water sports rentals.

Everything from paddle boards to kiteboards to cabanas can be hired here. A bonus for families: the water is calm.

Related: Tips For Staying Safe In Miami Beach For The First Time

6 Fort De Soto State Park

In addition to being host to two of the safest beaches in Florida, Fort De Soto State Park boasts 1,136 acres of land and five islands to explore. An easy day trip from nearby Tampa, For De Soto can be reached in about 40 minutes. It takes only 20 minutes to travel to this fun beach from St. Petersburg, making it an easy summer road trip.

North Beach is the most popular beach on the isle. The area's best beach for families, kids will spend hours running through the sand, climbing on equipment in the pirate ship playground, and splashing in the tidal pools.

The park boasts a ton of facilities, including concession stands, two swim centers, two fishing piers (one is under construction until Winter 2023), restrooms, and picnic shelters.

While in the park, be sure to visit its namesake, the historic, 19th-century fort.

Here, tourists can enjoy spectacular views, and they may even learn a thing or two in the park’s museum.

Bringing a pet? No worries. Dogs are welcome to run off-leash on specific areas of this dog-friendly beach, and they’ll love the Paw Playground.

The best time to visit For De Soto State Park’s beaches is on a weekday when it’s less crowded.

5 Siesta Key Beach

The beaches of Siesta Key are award-winners for multiple reasons. In addition to having some of the clearest water of all Florida beaches , these silky soft, white sandy beaches have been dubbed some of the most beautiful beaches on the East Coast .

Siesta Key Beach is the best beach for families, with plenty of land and water-based fun to be had, as well as concession stands, restrooms, a playground, a pavilion, tennis courts, and a free trolley. The crystal-clear water at this beach is warmer than that found on the Atlantic coast, and it's calmer, too, allowing families to wade into the surf safely.

Lifeguards are on duty and deputies from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office regularly patrol the beach, although there is rarely a need for them.

TripAdvisor named this the best beach in Florida .

4 St. Augustine Beach

It’s easy for tourists to think they’ve arrived in a European town when they first step foot in St. Augustine. The oldest city in America , this captivating place is a haven for travelers who like to soak up old-world charm along with the sun’s hot rays. It’s also home to a slew of exciting things to do and 42 miles of gorgeous beaches.

Speaking of rays, the best beach in St. Augustine for sunbathing and playing is its namesake, St. Augustine Beach. The city’s main public beach, this is where tourists will find that soft, sandy shore they crave, as well as the large, St. Johns County Ocean Pier for fishing.

Families will enjoy the splash park, volleyball courts, and shaded pavilion, as well as the restrooms, and picnic tables. Lifeguards are on duty seasonally.

St. Augustine beach is pet-friendly , so bring your favorite four-legged family member. No one needs to be left behind at this safe Florida beach.

3 Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach has been dubbed one of the most beautiful beaches in the US , and it’s easy to see why. As its name implies, the water here is crystalline, and the sand is so soft it feels like walking on fine flour.

The beach stretches for miles and is wide enough to allow families and couples plenty of space to stretch out, play volleyball, or chase each other through the sand.

There are so many fun things to do in Clearwater Beach . Popular activities include swimming, kiteboarding, jet-skiing, paddleboarding, parasailing, and kayaking on the calm water.

Restaurants and hotels lie close by, as does the town’s top family attraction—the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

2 Cocoa Beach

There are plenty of fun things to do for families at Cocoa Beach. Set on a barrier island just south of Cape Canaveral, on Florida’s Space Coast , this Atlantic Ocean beach is one of the safest beaches in Florida to visit this summer. It’s also one of the top day trip destinations for those looking for a beachy escape from nearby Orlando .

Adventure seekers looking to hang ten will love the epic surf at this top Florida beach. In fact, Cocoa Beach was voted the best place to surf in America .

Don’t worry, those with little ones in tow can stick to the shallow water close to shore for a safe and fun swim.

Related: 10 Top-Rated Tours in Orlando, Florida

1 Marco Island Beaches

Marco Island is a serene barrier isle located on Florida’s gulf coast. One of the safest cities in Florida , this idyllic isle is also home to miles of the softest, whitest sandy beaches, which are ideal places to visit with the family.

The island’s namesake beach is the most popular and therefore the most crowded. As such, San Marco Island Beach boasts amenities and plenty of parking to accommodate its many visitors. Head north to find a beachfront restaurant and less competition for a spot on the sand.

Shelling is a fun thing to do with the family at Tigertail Beach, as is spotting dolphins out from shore and digging in the sand. For those hoping to add kayaking and paddleboarding on a tidal lagoon to their trip, a visit to Tigertail Beach is a must.

• Top Beaches In Florida

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Is Florida Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

• Florida : Safety by City
• Amelia Island
• Boynton Beach
• Cocoa Beach
• Coral Springs
• Daytona Beach
• Deerfield Beach
• Delray Beach
• Everglades City
• Fort Lauderdale
• Fort Pierce
• Fort Walton Beach
• Gainesville
• Jacksonville
• Lake Buena Vista
• Lake Worth Beach
• Marco Island
• Miami Beach
• Miami Gardens
• New Smyrna Beach
• Ormond Beach
• Palm Beach Gardens
• Palm Harbor
• Panama City Beach
• Pembroke Pines
• Pompano Beach
• Port St. Lucie
• Punta Gorda
• St. Augustine
• St. Petersburg
• Tallahassee
• West Palm Beach
• Winter Park

As the southeasternmost U.S. state, Florida has the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast and the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast with hundreds of miles of beautiful beaches.   Visitors are attracted to the state because of its comfortable winter weather and beach communities.   Miami is known for its Latin American culture, renowned arts scene, and nightlife, especially in the South Beach neighborhood.   Orlando is world-famous for its theme parks, such as Walt Disney World.   Travelers from across the globe bring their families to Disney for a chance to meet Mickey Mouse.   With 21.48 million inhabitants, Florida continues to experience a population boom with many transplants coming from the northeast section of the U.S.   In addition to the weather, there is no personal income tax in Florida, which makes it even more appealing to potential residents.

• Warnings & Dangers in Florida

OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM

Florida cities are not the safest in the United States with some being safer than others. There are nice areas and crime-ridden deprived areas of all major Florida cities. The smaller towns are generally safe to visit as well. Whenever going to any new area, follow the usual precautions and you will have a comfortable trip to Florida without any issues.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM

Public transportation has a medium risk especially during rush hour when the vehicles are crowded. The main risk is related to pickpockets, not violent crimes. If this makes you uncomfortable then it is best to take a water taxi or regular taxi. Both are plentiful and licensed; however, unlicensed cabs exist so ensure you are ordering from a ridesharing app or reputable service.

PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM

Tourists and their belongings always attract pickpockets in crowded places and on mass transit. Therefore, watch your bags and pockets, never flash money or expensive items in crowded areas, and leave all valuables in a hotel safe.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM

Depending on where you are in the state will dictate exposure to natural disasters. The east coast of Florida is most vulnerable to floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes because of its direct exposure to the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors to Florida must study the weather conditions and know what to do in the instance of a natural disaster.

MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM

With crime being worse in some cities than others, armed robberies on tourists occur. The most common place for these robberies to occur is in empty parking lots at night or disadvantaged sections of cities. Therefore, don’t walk around alone late at night and never display valuable items in public. If attacked, do what the criminals say and immediately contact the police.

TERRORISM RISK: HIGH

Unfortunately, the United States is always subject to terrorist attacks, so large touristy cities, like those in Florida are targeted. Attempt to avoid mass demonstrations and gatherings and take heed of all government warnings. Also, it will behoove you to learn the political environment of different Florida cities before arriving.

SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM

Most fraud in Florida is to trick an individual into giving them your sensitive data. That means travelers could be subjected to different scam types. The best way to avoid getting scammed is to always keep your sensitive documents on you or in the hotel room safe and credit cards in your bag. Never give any information to those you don’t know.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

Women traveling solo to Florida can be safe if they don’t walk around cities alone at night, don’t get drunk in bars, and never attract too much attention with decorations or outfits. Drink drugging does occur in bars and clubs so never leave your drink unattended.

TAP WATER RISK: LOW

Like the rest of the United States, the tap water risk is low, especially in major cities. Always pay attention to the water advisories to ensure you are safe, but water issues are uncommon.

• Safest Places to Visit in Florida

All cities in Florida have safe areas and attractions to visit.

Close to Jacksonville is the world-famous Daytona Beach.

Orlando has Disney and Epcot Center, which are incredibly safe, as well as a vibrant downtown.

A safe and interesting destination in Tampa in Ybor City, which is home to countless retailers, bars, and restaurants.

Miami is the most cultural and diverse city in Florida, with a heavy Latin and South American vibe.

Miami is a relatively safe city with plenty of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, world-class shopping, and pristine beaches.

St. Augustine is one of the most historic towns in the United States and incredibly safe, which makes it a do-not-miss destination.

All the coastal towns boast something unique with beaches generally being safe to visit alone.

• Places to Avoid in Florida

In addition to the bad neighborhoods in major cities, some suburban and rural towns are consistently plagued by high crime.

Florida City, a small city south of Miami had the highest violent crime rate per 100,000 citizens.

Marianna, a city on the Florida Panhandle, also had high violent and property crime percentages.

Lake City, which is situated between Orlando and Tampa in the middle of the state also had high violent and property crimes in 2020.

Other cities to avoid include Riviera Beach, Starke, Cocoa, Palm Springs, Lake Worth, and Chattahoochee round out the list with a high percentage of crime.

Many of these areas are not heavily touristy due to a lack of attractions, so there is no reason to visit in the first place.

However, if you find yourself at one of these destinations, simply keep your wits and never flash money or valuables as this is just asking for trouble.

• Safety Tips for Traveling to Florida
• Avoid unsafe areas. Never wander into unsafe-looking neighborhoods in major cities. Do some research before your trip to find out where to go and where to avoid.
• Check the weather everyday. During the severe weather season, you’ll want to check the weather so you can plan properly. You will be able to see hurricanes coming but, due to the tropical nature of the state, severe thunderstorms can appear out of nowhere.
• Don’t feed wild animals. If you see a gator, stay away. They have been known to attack humans, especially when hungry. If you want to touch an alligator, go to a gator farm where trained professionals will assist with the interaction.
• Don’t leave valuables in parked cars. Never leave any valuables in sight where a passerby could break the window and steal your belongings. Put these items in the trunk or leave them in your hotel lockbox to guarantee they remain safe.
• Don’t go into the Everglades alone. Never wander into the Everglades alone. There are many bugs and animals that can be harmful to humans. That doesn’t mean you should skip the Everglades but book a tour with a reputable company to escort you.
• Never leave drinks unattended. The nightlife in Florida is outstanding, especially in Miami. However, there are shady characters who wish to ruin the fun, especially for female visitors. Therefore, never leave your drink unattended in bars and nightclubs to ensure drugs aren’t slopped into the cup.
• Never leave belongings on the beach unattended. Leaving belongings sitting on the beach while you go for a dip in the ocean is never a promising idea. Thieves are looking for this exact opportunity to steal items from your bag or take your belongings altogether.
• Stick to campsites. Camping in Florida is plentiful but it’s not advisable to go off-the-beaten-path since there are many dangers in the wilderness. Register with the park ranger before going hiking or camping in one of the many parks.
• Pack accordingly. Always pack extra clothing and rain gear regardless of when you are visiting. Bring a lot of sunscreens and reapply regularly to remain protected from the hot sun.
• Wear sunscreen. The summer months can be brutally hot with the sun beating down on unsuspecting beachgoers. Severe sunburns are common and easy to get so always wear sunscreen. This includes wearing it during the milder winter months as the sun can be hot.
• So... How Safe Is Florida Really?

Florida is a relatively safe state, especially in rural areas.

However, there are good and bad neighborhoods in all major cities.

Most crime is related to robberies, theft, and some violent, drug-related crimes.

One major issue in the large cities is drug trafficking, especially in Miami due to its location in the Caribbean.

Drugs come into Miami on boats in the middle of the night, and while this doesn’t impact tourists, the related crime could.

In the bad areas of the cities, tourists should avoid the area at all costs.

Do some research on the high crime areas of the places you’ll be visiting before travel.

Tourist areas, like along the beach, in shops, or downtown sections are safe, even at night.

Rental cars are always targets for thieves to leave valuables at home or in the trunk and always lock the car doors.

Take taxis or water taxis when returning to your hotel late at night to avoid any issues.

All major cities have prostitutes and drug dealers, both of which are illegal so stay away.

Finally, never walk into low-lit areas or remote sections of cities, and don’t get involved in street showdowns with anyone.

Florida can be a wonderful family or personal vacation due to its pristine beauty, exciting nightlife, incredible shopping, and excellent weather.

Most travelers won’t have an issue when visiting so it is a good and safe place to visit if you use common sense.

• How Does Florida Compare?
• Useful Information

The United States visa policy for foreign nationals wishing to enter the U.S. varies based on the origin country. For those that require a visa, visitors must acquire the documentation through the government. Regardless of the origin country, all travelers must have a valid passport to enter. U.S. residents don’t need a visa or passport to travel to Florida, just valid identification.

The official currency in all states is the United States dollar.

The best time to visit Florida for the best weather is between December and April when the temperatures are milder with hot days and comfortable nights. While average temperatures vary across the state, the weather is extremely hot in the summer with high humidity. Florida is right in the middle of the hurricane zone is therefore subject to severe weather.

All major cities – Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale - have at least one international airport. Additionally, there are smaller regional airports scattered across the state for access to more rural areas.

Travel Insurance

It is always advisable to purchase travel insurance, especially during these uncertain times of delays, cancellations, and other travel issues, even if you are coming from another state. For foreign visitors, travel insurance is especially important when entering the United States.

Florida Weather Averages (Temperatures)

• Average High/Low Temperature

Florida - Safety by City

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• 10 Safest Neighborhoods in Florida
• 12 Things to Do in Florida With Kids
• 10 Best Beaches in South Florida
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• 10 Best Beaches in Florida
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• Where to Next?

5 Reviews on Florida

Too many gun toting residents..

Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows Floridians to shoot you if they feel threatened by you. New gun legislation will allow anyone to carry a gun wherever they go. I have lived there and now have family moving out of the State because they feel unsafe with its NRA pandering laws.

Safe and a lot to do

Florida is safe, just mind your neighborhoods. The people are kind and the weather is nice.

The freedoms in this state and zero income tax make it one of the most prosperous states in the region.

Gun laws are less restrictive than others, but the general population is responsible enough with their weapons.

Also, some drivers are a little crazy, always drive defensively as you were taught in driving school.

Many people on this site do not like to provide a good description for foreigners, and instead get political and instead of informative.

Please give Florida a try, we are nicer than the memes lead on!

Bad weather

The weather is awful, I am not sure why people want to move there.

Awesome to live in FL

A great place to live, you feel the freedom in Florida, not like in places like California where you feel choked.

Safe but its still a good idea to be careful

It isn’t that bad of a place not much crime happens there but still i’d prioritize my safety over everything else

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Article Contents

• Overall Risk
• Transport & Taxis Risk
• Pickpockets Risk
• Natural Disasters Risk
• Mugging Risk
• Terrorism Risk
• Women Travelers Risk
• Tap Water Risk
• Weather Averages (Temperatures)
• User Reviews
• Share Your Experience

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Florida Guides > Uncategorized > 11 Safest Beaches in Florida

11 Safest Beaches in Florida

• June 28, 2023
• Read Our Editorial Policy

When it comes to planning a beach vacation, safety is a top priority for many travelers. Florida, known for its stunning beaches, offers a variety of destinations that prioritize visitor well-being. 

From the tranquil shores of Siesta Key to the picturesque coast of Clearwater Beach, these 11 safest beaches in Florida provide the perfect blend of security and natural beauty. Whether you’re seeking a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, these beach destinations offer a worry-free experience for an unforgettable vacation.

• Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island, located on Florida’s southwest coast, offers a serene and safe beach destination for travelers seeking tranquility and peace of mind. This pristine barrier island is renowned for its natural beauty, abundant wildlife, and commitment to preserving its tranquil atmosphere, making it one of the safest beaches in Florida.

Sanibel Island boasts an exceptionally low crime rate and prioritizes the safety of its residents and visitors. The local police actively patrol the area, ensuring a secure environment for beachgoers and tourists. This dedication to safety allows visitors to fully immerse themselves in the island’s peaceful ambiance and enjoy worry-free beach experiences.

Aside from its safety, Sanibel Island also offers unique attractions and specialties. The island is famous for its shell-strewn beaches, providing an excellent opportunity for shell collecting enthusiasts. Nature lovers can explore the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to a diverse range of bird species and other wildlife. The island’s bike-friendly atmosphere encourages visitors to explore its scenic trails, further enhancing the experience of being surrounded by natural beauty.

Here are three recommended hotels on Sanibel Island that offer comfortable accommodations:

• Sundial Beach Resort & Spa: This beachfront resort offers spacious suites, multiple swimming pools, on-site dining options, and easy access to the island’s attractions.
• Sanibel Inn: Nestled amidst lush tropical gardens, this charming inn features cozy rooms, a private beach, and a tranquil atmosphere perfect for relaxation.
• Casa Ybel Resort: Situated on the Gulf of Mexico, this resort provides spacious suites, a beachfront pool, on-site dining, and stunning views of the ocean.

Reaching Sanibel Island is convenient, as it can be accessed via Highway 867, also known as the Sanibel Causeway. The causeway connects the island to the mainland and offers picturesque views along the way.

Here are a few things to do on Sanibel Island:

• Shelling: Embark on a shell-hunting adventure along the island’s pristine beaches and discover an array of beautiful seashells.
• Wildlife Watching: Explore the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and observe a diverse range of bird species, including herons, egrets, and roseate spoonbills.
• Biking: Rent a bike and explore the island’s network of bike paths, enjoying the scenic landscapes and fresh coastal air.

Sanibel Island offers a safe and tranquil beach getaway on Florida’s southwest coast. With its low crime rate, commitment to visitor safety, and unique attractions, this barrier island provides a haven for those seeking a secure and serene escape. Plan your visit to Sanibel Island and experience the beauty, tranquility, and safety that make this destination truly special.

• Captiva Island

Captiva Island, located on Florida’s enchanting Gulf Coast, is a secluded paradise that offers a remarkable combination of safety and natural splendor. This idyllic island is known for its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and a commitment to ensuring a safe and secure environment for all visitors.

Captiva Island boasts a remarkably low crime rate, providing a sense of security and peace of mind to those seeking a serene beach escape. The island’s small, close-knit community and dedicated local authorities contribute to a safe and welcoming atmosphere. Tourists can explore the island’s beauty, indulge in its unique offerings, and enjoy their vacation without worry.

Aside from its safety, Captiva Island is renowned for its special attractions and natural wonders. The island offers breathtaking sunsets that paint the sky with vibrant hues, creating a magical ambiance for romantic getaways. Visitors can also explore the abundant marine life through snorkeling or chartering a boat for an unforgettable day of fishing. For those seeking relaxation, the island’s pristine beaches offer a tranquil retreat where one can unwind and soak up the sun.

Here are three recommended hotels on Captiva Island that provide exceptional accommodations:

• South Seas Island Resort: This sprawling resort offers a range of accommodations, from cozy rooms to private villas, along with a host of amenities such as pools, restaurants, and access to the beach.
• Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa: Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island Sound, this resort provides comfortable rooms, a full-service spa, on-site dining, and stunning waterfront views.
• Captiva Island Inn: Situated in the heart of the island, this charming inn features individually decorated rooms, a tropical courtyard, and easy access to the island’s attractions and dining options.

Reaching Captiva Island is convenient by crossing the Sanibel Causeway via Highway 867 and continuing onto Captiva Drive.

Here are a few things to do on Captiva Island:

• Sunset Cruises: Embark on a sunset cruise and witness the mesmerizing beauty of the Gulf of Mexico as the sun sets over the horizon.
• Shelling: Explore the island’s pristine beaches and discover exquisite seashells, including the highly sought-after “Junonia” shell.
• Wildlife Excursions: Take a guided nature tour to observe the island’s diverse wildlife, including dolphins, manatees, and various bird species.

Captiva Island offers a secluded paradise of safety and natural splendor on Florida’s Gulf Coast. With its low crime rate, stunning natural attractions, and serene atmosphere, this island destination provides a safe haven for those seeking a peaceful and rejuvenating getaway. Plan your visit to Captiva Island and immerse yourself in the safety and natural beauty that make this destination truly exceptional.

• Marco Island

Marco Island, nestled on Florida’s southwestern coast, invites you to experience a combination of safety and serenity on its pristine shores. This tranquil island getaway offers a secure environment for visitors, ensuring peace of mind as you indulge in the island’s natural beauty and array of attractions.

Safety is a top priority on Marco Island, with low crime rates and a strong commitment to providing a secure experience for all. The local authorities actively patrol the island, ensuring the safety and well-being of residents and visitors alike. This dedication to safety allows you to fully relax and enjoy the island’s abundant offerings without concerns.

Beyond its safety, Marco Island boasts an array of specialties and attractions. The island is renowned for its stunning white sandy beaches, inviting turquoise waters, and breathtaking sunsets. Visitors can engage in various water sports, including kayaking, paddleboarding, and jet skiing. Nature enthusiasts can explore the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, home to diverse wildlife species and picturesque landscapes.

Here are three recommended hotels on Marco Island that offer exceptional accommodations:

• JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort: This luxurious beachfront resort offers elegant rooms, a private beach, multiple pools, and a range of dining options to enhance your stay.
• Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa: Situated on a private stretch of beach, this resort features comfortable rooms, a spa, outdoor pools, and picturesque views of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Marco Beach Ocean Resort: Offering spacious suites with private balconies, this boutique resort provides a tranquil setting, a beachside pool, and personalized service for a memorable stay.

Reaching Marco Island is convenient via Highway 951, also known as Collier Boulevard, which provides direct access to the island.

Here are a few things to do on Marco Island:

• Tigertail Beach: Explore this beautiful beach and nature reserve, where you can walk along scenic trails, spot native wildlife, and enjoy water activities.
• Dolphin-Watching Tours: Embark on a guided boat tour to witness playful dolphins in their natural habitat, creating unforgettable memories.
• Marco Island Historical Museum: Discover the island’s rich history through exhibits that showcase its Native American heritage, pioneer era, and unique natural environment.

Marco Island offers a haven of safety and serenity on Florida’s southwestern coast. With its commitment to visitor safety, picturesque beaches, and a range of attractions, this pristine paradise provides an ideal escape for those seeking relaxation and tranquility. Plan your visit to Marco Island and immerse yourself in the safety and natural splendor that make this destination truly remarkable.

• Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island, a hidden gem on Florida’s Gulf Coast, beckons you to experience a perfect blend of safety and coastal charm. This picturesque island getaway offers a secure and welcoming environment, allowing you to unwind and explore its breathtaking beauty with peace of mind.

Safety is a top priority on Anna Maria Island, with a low crime rate and a strong sense of community vigilance. The island’s local authorities are dedicated to maintaining a safe environment for residents and visitors, ensuring that your stay is worry-free and enjoyable.

Beyond its safety, Anna Maria Island exudes coastal charm and provides a range of unique attractions. The island’s pristine beaches, with their powdery white sand and sparkling turquoise waters, create an idyllic setting for relaxation and recreation. From beachcombing and sunbathing to swimming and water sports, there are endless opportunities to immerse yourself in the island’s coastal splendor.

Anna Maria Island is known for its distinctively preserved character, with charming neighborhoods, boutique shops, and local eateries. Explore the island’s hidden treasures on a leisurely bike ride or take a stroll along the historic Pine Avenue, where you’ll find a mix of art galleries, cafes, and specialty shops.

Here are three recommended hotels on Anna Maria Island that offer comfortable accommodations:

• Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club: This waterfront resort features stylish rooms, a private beach club, a pool, and easy access to the island’s attractions.
• Anna Maria Island Beach Resort: Located directly on the beach, this resort offers cozy rooms with ocean views, beachfront access, and a laid-back atmosphere.
• Tortuga Beach Resort: Nestled amid lush tropical gardens, this resort provides spacious suites, a heated pool, and a tranquil ambiance for a relaxing stay.

Reaching Anna Maria Island is convenient via Highway 64, also known as Manatee Avenue, which connects the island to the mainland.

Here are a few things to do on Anna Maria Island:

• Bean Point Beach: Visit this secluded and scenic beach, known for its stunning sunsets, serene atmosphere, and opportunities for shell collecting.
• Historic Anna Maria City Pier: Take a stroll along the iconic pier, soak in panoramic views of the bay, and indulge in a meal at the waterfront restaurant.
• Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum: Explore the island’s rich history through exhibits that showcase its heritage, including vintage photographs and artifacts.

Anna Maria Island offers a haven of safety and coastal charm on Florida’s Gulf Coast. With its commitment to visitor safety, pristine beaches, and unique attractions, this hidden gem provides an ideal destination for those seeking relaxation and an authentic coastal experience. Plan your visit to Anna Maria Island and immerse yourself in the safety and coastal allure that make this destination truly captivating.

Siesta Key, situated along the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida, invites you to unwind in a place where safety and bliss harmoniously coexist. With its world-renowned beach, Siesta Key offers a secure and tranquil environment for visitors to enjoy a truly unforgettable beach getaway.

Safety is paramount on Siesta Key, boasting a reputation for being one of the safest beach destinations in Florida. The island takes pride in its low crime rate and the diligent efforts of local law enforcement to ensure the well-being of residents and tourists alike. This commitment to safety allows visitors to relax and indulge in the island’s abundant natural beauty without any worries.

At the heart of Siesta Key’s allure is its award-winning beach, known for its powdery white quartz sand that feels cool to the touch even on the sunniest of days. The beach stretches for miles, offering ample space for sunbathing, picnicking, and leisurely walks along the shoreline. The turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico provide a refreshing escape, perfect for swimming, paddleboarding, and other water activities.

Siesta Key offers more than just a pristine beach. The island features a charming village with an assortment of boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. Indulge in fresh seafood, savor tropical cocktails, and immerse yourself in the vibrant island atmosphere. Siesta Key also hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, providing opportunities to experience the island’s lively culture and community spirit.

Here are three recommended hotels on Siesta Key that offer delightful accommodations:

• The Ringling Beach House: This beachfront property features spacious and well-appointed suites, a private pool, and direct access to the beach.
• Tropical Beach Resorts: Situated steps away from the sand, this resort offers comfortable rooms, a heated pool, and a laid-back ambiance.
• Siesta Key Beachside Villas: These cozy villas provide a peaceful retreat, surrounded by lush gardens, just a short walk from the beach.

Reaching Siesta Key is convenient via Highway 758, also known as the Stickney Point Bridge, which connects the island to the mainland.

Here are a few things to do on Siesta Key:

• Point of Rocks: Explore this picturesque limestone formation located at the southern tip of Siesta Key, perfect for snorkeling and observing marine life.
• Siesta Key Village: Wander through the village’s charming streets, browse unique shops, dine at local eateries, and soak up the island’s laid-back vibe.
• Sunset Drum Circle: Join the vibrant gathering of locals and visitors on Siesta Beach every Sunday evening for a mesmerizing drum circle and witness the captivating sunset.

Siesta Key offers a serene and secure haven for beach lovers on Florida’s Gulf Coast. With its commitment to safety, world-renowned beach, and vibrant island atmosphere, Siesta Key provides an idyllic escape where you can unwind, soak up the sun, and create lasting memories. Plan your visit to Siesta Key and experience the safety and bliss that make this destination truly exceptional.

Naples Beach, located on Florida’s elegant Gulf Coast, invites you to embrace a blend of safety and sophistication as you indulge in the natural beauty and upscale charm of this captivating destination.

Safety is a top priority in Naples, ensuring a secure environment for residents and visitors. The city boasts a low crime rate and maintains a vigilant presence of law enforcement to uphold the tranquility of the area. With this commitment to safety, Naples Beach offers a serene and worry-free experience for those seeking relaxation and rejuvenation.

Naples Beach is renowned for its pristine shoreline, featuring powdery white sand and azure waters that beckon beach enthusiasts. The beach is meticulously maintained, providing a clean and inviting atmosphere for sunbathing, swimming, and strolling along the water’s edge. Visitors can unwind under the shade of swaying palm trees and immerse themselves in the tranquil ambiance of this coastal paradise.

In addition to its safety, Naples offers a sophisticated ambiance and a variety of upscale attractions. The city boasts world-class shopping along Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, where high-end boutiques, art galleries, and gourmet restaurants create a vibrant and refined atmosphere. Golf enthusiasts can enjoy challenging courses amidst stunning natural landscapes, while cultural aficionados can explore renowned art museums and theaters.

Here are three recommended hotels in Naples that epitomize luxury and comfort:

• The Ritz-Carlton, Naples: This iconic beachfront resort offers lavish accommodations, exquisite dining options, a spa, and access to the pristine beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Naples Grande Beach Resort: Nestled within 23 acres of lush tropical grounds, this resort features elegant rooms, a private beach, multiple pools, and a championship golf course.
• Edgewater Beach Hotel: Situated directly on the beach, this boutique hotel provides spacious suites with stunning ocean views, along with a pool, dining options, and a peaceful atmosphere.

Reaching Naples Beach is convenient via Interstate 75, also known as Alligator Alley, which connects Naples to other major cities in Florida.

Here are a few things to do in Naples:

• Naples Pier: Take a leisurely stroll along the iconic Naples Pier, offering panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico and a prime spot for sunset gazing.
• Naples Botanical Garden: Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of these stunning gardens, showcasing a diverse collection of plants, sculptures, and themed exhibits.
• Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens: Explore this tropical zoo, home to a wide range of animals from around the world, and engage in educational and interactive experiences.

Naples Beach offers a harmonious blend of safety and sophistication on Florida’s Gulf Coast. With its commitment to visitor well-being, pristine shoreline, upscale attractions, and refined ambiance, Naples Beach provides an unparalleled destination for those seeking a luxurious and secure beach retreat. Plan your visit to Naples Beach and embrace the safety and sophistication that make this destination truly exceptional.

Destin, situated along the breathtaking Emerald Coast of Florida, invites you to experience a perfect combination of safety and coastal adventure. With its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and an array of thrilling activities, Destin offers a secure and exhilarating getaway for visitors of all ages.

Safety is a top priority in Destin, ensuring a worry-free experience for those seeking relaxation and excitement. The city takes pride in its well-maintained beaches, vigilant lifeguards, and a strong sense of community security. This dedication to safety allows you to fully immerse yourself in the coastal splendor and exciting activities that Destin has to offer.

Destin is renowned for its picturesque beaches, known for their soft, sugar-white sand and vibrant turquoise waters. Whether you’re sunbathing, building sandcastles, or swimming, the beaches of Destin provide a serene and inviting atmosphere. Adventurous visitors can explore a variety of water sports, including snorkeling, jet skiing, paddleboarding, and fishing, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Beyond its safety, Destin offers a wide range of coastal adventures and attractions. The city is famous for its deep-sea fishing, with numerous charter boats available to take you on an exhilarating fishing excursion in the Gulf of Mexico. Destin is also home to several championship golf courses, allowing golf enthusiasts to tee off amidst stunning coastal landscapes.

Here are three recommended hotels in Destin that offer comfortable accommodations:

• Henderson Beach Resort: Nestled along the shoreline, this upscale resort features spacious rooms, a private beach, multiple pools, and a luxurious spa for ultimate relaxation.
• The Palms of Destin Resort: Offering well-appointed condominium-style units, this resort provides a tropical oasis with a lagoon-style pool, fitness center, and stunning Gulf views.
• Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa: Situated on the beach, this resort boasts elegant rooms, multiple dining options, a full-service spa, and access to championship golf courses.

Reaching Destin is convenient via Highway 98, which connects the city to other coastal communities along the Emerald Coast.

Here are a few things to do in Destin:

• Destin Harbor Boardwalk: Explore the lively boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants, and entertainment options. Take a sunset cruise, shop for souvenirs, or indulge in fresh seafood at one of the waterfront eateries.
• Big Kahuna’s Water and Adventure Park: Enjoy a day of family fun at this expansive water park, featuring thrilling water slides, lazy rivers, wave pools, and miniature golf.
• Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park: Discover marine life up close at this interactive park, where you can witness dolphin and sea lion shows, explore exhibits, and even participate in animal encounters.

Destin offers a blend of safety and coastal adventure on Florida’s stunning Emerald Coast. With its commitment to visitor well-being, pristine beaches, thrilling activities, and a vibrant coastal atmosphere, Destin provides an ideal destination for those seeking a secure and exhilarating beach vacation. Plan your visit to Destin and embark on a journey of safety and coastal splendor that will leave you with cherished memories.

• St. Pete Beach

St. Pete Beach, nestled along the sun-kissed shores of Florida’s Gulf Coast, invites you to discover a perfect blend of safety and coastal paradise. With its pristine sandy beaches, warm turquoise waters, and a host of attractions, St. Pete Beach offers a secure and idyllic retreat for visitors seeking relaxation and rejuvenation.

Safety is of utmost importance in St. Pete Beach, ensuring a worry-free experience for residents and tourists alike. The city maintains a strong commitment to providing a safe environment, with well-trained lifeguards patrolling the beaches and a responsive local police force. With this dedication to safety, you can fully immerse yourself in the beauty and serenity of St. Pete Beach.

St. Pete Beach boasts miles of powdery white sand and sparkling waters, making it a beach lover’s paradise. Whether you’re lounging under an umbrella, taking a refreshing dip in the Gulf of Mexico, or strolling along the shoreline, the beach offers a serene and inviting atmosphere for all to enjoy. You can also partake in a variety of water sports, including kayaking, paddleboarding, and parasailing, adding a touch of adventure to your beach experience.

Beyond its safety, St. Pete Beach offers a range of attractions and activities for visitors. The iconic Don CeSar hotel, known as the “Pink Palace,” stands as a landmark of elegance and luxury. The beachfront promenade is lined with charming shops, restaurants, and cafes, where you can savor delicious coastal cuisine and soak in the vibrant atmosphere. St. Pete Beach is also home to excellent fishing opportunities, with charters available for deep-sea fishing adventures.

Here are three recommended hotels in St. Pete Beach that offer comfortable accommodations:

• The Don CeSar: This legendary beachfront hotel offers luxurious rooms, a spa, multiple dining options, and stunning views of the Gulf of Mexico.
• TradeWinds Island Grand Resort: Situated on 20 acres of beachfront property, this expansive resort features spacious rooms, water slides, pools, restaurants, and a range of family-friendly activities.
• Sirata Beach Resort: Located on a pristine stretch of beach, this resort offers comfortable rooms, beachfront cabanas, multiple swimming pools, and various dining options.

Reaching St. Pete Beach is convenient via Interstate 275, which connects the city to Tampa and other major cities in Florida.

Here are a few things to do in St. Pete Beach:

• Visit the Salvador Dalí Museum: Explore the world’s largest collection of Dalí’s artwork, including surreal masterpieces that will ignite your imagination.
• Fort De Soto Park: Discover this picturesque park, known for its pristine beaches, nature trails, and historic fort. Enjoy swimming, kayaking, birdwatching, or simply relaxing amidst nature’s beauty.
• Explore St. Petersburg: Take a short drive to nearby St. Petersburg and visit the vibrant downtown area, filled with art galleries, museums, shopping districts, and a lively food scene.

St. Pete Beach offers a unique blend of safety and coastal paradise on Florida’s Gulf Coast. With its commitment to visitor well-being, stunning beaches, array of attractions, and a relaxed beach town atmosphere, St. Pete Beach provides an ideal destination for those seeking a secure and rejuvenating beach getaway. Plan your visit to St. Pete Beach and immerse yourself in the safety and coastal splendor that make this destination truly exceptional.

• Amelia Island

Amelia Island, situated along Florida’s tranquil coast, invites you to uncover a hidden gem that offers both safety and natural beauty. With its pristine beaches, lush landscapes, and a peaceful atmosphere, Amelia Island provides a secure and serene retreat for visitors seeking relaxation and exploration.

Safety is a top priority on Amelia Island, ensuring a worry-free experience for residents and tourists. The island maintains a low crime rate and a strong sense of community security, allowing visitors to fully embrace the tranquility and natural splendor that it offers. Whether you’re strolling along the shoreline, exploring the island’s charming neighborhoods, or indulging in outdoor activities, you can do so with peace of mind.

Amelia Island boasts 13 miles of unspoiled coastline, with sandy beaches that provide a serene escape. The beaches are perfect for sunbathing, building sandcastles, or taking a refreshing swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Nature lovers will appreciate the island’s diverse ecosystems, including maritime forests, salt marshes, and pristine dunes, which offer opportunities for birdwatching, hiking, and wildlife spotting.

Beyond its safety, Amelia Island is renowned for its rich history and charming character. The island’s historic district, Fernandina Beach, exudes Southern charm with its Victorian architecture, quaint shops, and award-winning restaurants. Take a leisurely stroll through the streets and immerse yourself in the island’s unique blend of culture and heritage.

Here are three recommended hotels on Amelia Island that offer comfortable accommodations:

• The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island: This luxurious beachfront resort offers elegant rooms, a world-class spa, multiple dining options, and access to a private stretch of beach.
• Omni Amelia Island Resort: Nestled on 1,350 acres, this sprawling resort features upscale rooms, a championship golf course, a full-service spa, and various dining venues.
• The Fairbanks House: Experience the charm of a historic bed and breakfast at this beautifully restored Victorian mansion, offering cozy rooms, personalized service, and a delicious gourmet breakfast.

Reaching Amelia Island is convenient via Interstate 95, which connects the island to Jacksonville and other major cities in Florida.

Here are a few things to do on Amelia Island:

• Fort Clinch State Park: Explore this well-preserved 19th-century fort, hike nature trails, and enjoy scenic views of the coast. You may also spot wildlife, such as deer and nesting sea turtles.
• Amelia Island Museum of History: Delve into the island’s fascinating past at this museum, which showcases artifacts and exhibits that highlight its diverse history and heritage.
• Amelia Island State Park: Discover this pristine park with untouched beaches, where you can enjoy sunbathing, picnicking, fishing, and spotting local wildlife in their natural habitat.

Amelia Island offers a tranquil and secure retreat on Florida’s picturesque coast. With its dedication to safety, natural beauty, rich history, and charming ambiance, Amelia Island provides an ideal destination for those seeking a peaceful and rejuvenating beach getaway. Plan your visit to Amelia Island and uncover the safety and natural splendor that make this island a true coastal gem.

• Pensacola Beach

Pensacola Beach, located on the pristine shores of Florida’s Gulf Coast, invites you to experience a perfect combination of safety and coastal adventure. With its sugar-white sands, emerald waters, and a host of exciting activities, Pensacola Beach offers a secure and thrilling escape for visitors of all ages.

Safety is a top priority in Pensacola Beach, ensuring a worry-free experience for residents and tourists. The beach is patrolled by attentive lifeguards who prioritize the well-being of beachgoers. Additionally, the local authorities maintain a strong presence, ensuring a secure environment for everyone to enjoy the coastal paradise of Pensacola Beach.

Pensacola Beach is renowned for its stunning natural beauty. The soft, powdery sands and crystal-clear waters create a picturesque setting for sunbathing, swimming, and beachside relaxation. Adventurous visitors can indulge in an array of water sports, including snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, and surfing, offering a thrilling experience amidst the Gulf of Mexico’s waves.

Beyond its safety, Pensacola Beach offers a range of attractions and activities to suit every interest. The beach is home to the iconic Pensacola Beach Pier, where you can enjoy fishing or simply take a leisurely stroll to soak in panoramic views of the coastline. For history enthusiasts, a visit to the nearby National Naval Aviation Museum is a must, offering an immersive experience in the world of naval aviation.

Here are three recommended hotels in Pensacola Beach that offer comfortable accommodations:

• Hilton Pensacola Beach: This beachfront hotel provides spacious rooms with stunning ocean views, multiple dining options, a pool, and easy access to the beach.
• Margaritaville Beach Hotel: Experience a laid-back atmosphere at this beachfront resort, featuring stylish rooms, a poolside bar, live music, and direct access to the beach.
• SpringHill Suites by Marriott Pensacola Beach: Offering spacious suites with separate living areas, this hotel boasts a beachfront location, a pool, a fitness center, and complimentary breakfast.

Reaching Pensacola Beach is convenient via Highway 98, which connects the beach to the city of Pensacola and other nearby destinations.

Here are a few things to do in Pensacola Beach:

• Gulf Islands National Seashore: Explore the untouched beauty of this national seashore, which spans across multiple barrier islands. Enjoy nature trails, birdwatching, and pristine beaches for a serene and secluded experience.
• Historic Pensacola Village: Immerse yourself in the city’s rich history at this living museum, featuring historic homes, museums, and guided tours that offer insights into the area’s cultural heritage.
• Pensacola Beach Boardwalk: Visit the vibrant boardwalk area, where you can indulge in local cuisine, shop for unique souvenirs, and enjoy live entertainment.

Pensacola Beach offers a captivating blend of safety and coastal adventure on Florida’s Gulf Coast. With its commitment to visitor well-being, breathtaking natural beauty, exhilarating water sports, and a vibrant beachfront atmosphere, Pensacola Beach provides an ideal destination for those seeking a secure and unforgettable beach vacation. Plan your visit to Pensacola Beach and embark on a journey of safety and coastal splendor that will create lasting memories.

• Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach, located on the pristine shores of Florida’s Gulf Coast, invites you to discover a perfect combination of safety and sunshine. With its sparkling white sands, crystal-clear waters, and an abundance of recreational activities, Clearwater Beach offers a secure and vibrant escape for visitors of all ages.

Safety is of utmost importance in Clearwater Beach, ensuring a worry-free experience for residents and tourists. The beach is diligently patrolled by experienced lifeguards who prioritize the well-being of beachgoers. Additionally, the local authorities maintain a strong presence, ensuring a safe environment for everyone to enjoy the sun-soaked paradise of Clearwater Beach.

Clearwater Beach is renowned for its stunning natural beauty and pristine coastline. The powdery white sands and gentle waves create an inviting setting for sunbathing, swimming, and beachside relaxation. The beach is complemented by a range of water activities, including jet skiing, parasailing, paddleboarding, and dolphin-watching cruises, providing endless opportunities for adventure and excitement.

Beyond its safety, Clearwater Beach offers a plethora of attractions and entertainment options for visitors. The vibrant Pier 60 is a hub of activity, featuring street performers, artisans, and stunning sunset views. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home to Winter the dolphin from the movie “Dolphin Tale,” offers an educational and interactive experience for marine life enthusiasts.

Here are three recommended hotels in Clearwater Beach that offer comfortable accommodations:

• Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach: This upscale beachfront hotel offers stylish rooms, multiple dining options, a pool, a spa, and direct access to the beach.
• Opal Sands Resort: Experience contemporary luxury at this beachfront resort, featuring sleek rooms, a beachside pool, a full-service spa, and panoramic ocean views.
• Sheraton Sand Key Resort: Nestled on a secluded stretch of beach, this resort provides spacious rooms, a lagoon-style pool, multiple dining options, and easy access to the beach.

Reaching Clearwater Beach is convenient via Highway 60, which connects the beach to downtown Clearwater and nearby cities.

Here are a few things to do in Clearwater Beach:

• Clearwater Beach Walk: Take a leisurely stroll along the scenic beach promenade, enjoying picturesque views, outdoor art installations, and charming cafes.
• Caladesi Island State Park: Embark on a short ferry ride to this pristine barrier island, where you can explore nature trails, spot wildlife, and relax on uncrowded beaches.
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium: Get up close and personal with dolphins, sea turtles, and other marine life while learning about conservation efforts at this renowned aquarium.

Clearwater Beach offers a captivating blend of safety and sunshine on Florida’s Gulf Coast. With its dedication to visitor well-being, breathtaking natural beauty, a plethora of recreational activities, and a vibrant beachfront atmosphere, Clearwater Beach provides an ideal destination for those seeking a secure and unforgettable beach vacation. Plan your visit to Clearwater Beach and immerse yourself in the safety and sunshine that make this destination truly exceptional.

The Bottom Line

As you plan your next beach getaway, consider these 11 safest beaches in Florida for a secure and memorable experience. From the stunning white sands of Siesta Key to the vibrant atmosphere of Miami Beach, each destination offers a unique charm and a commitment to visitor safety. Soak up the sun, relax on pristine shores, and indulge in a variety of activities while enjoying peace of mind. Whether you’re traveling with family, friends, or seeking a solo escape, these beaches provide the ideal backdrop for a safe and enjoyable vacation.

Frequently Ask Questions About Safest Beaches in Florida

Which beaches in florida are considered the safest for swimming.

Some of the safest beaches for swimming in Florida include Clearwater Beach, Siesta Key Beach, and St. Pete Beach.

Are there any specific precautions I should take when visiting the safest beaches in Florida?

When visiting the safest beaches in Florida, it is advisable to follow the lifeguards’ instructions, be aware of the current conditions, and use sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.

Are there lifeguards present at the safest beaches in Florida?

Yes, the safest beaches in Florida typically have lifeguards on duty to ensure the safety of swimmers and beachgoers.

Are there any potential hazards or dangerous marine life that I should be aware of at the safest beaches in Florida?

While the safest beaches in Florida are generally free from major hazards, it’s always a good idea to be aware of potential dangers such as rip currents, jellyfish, and occasional shark sightings.

Can you recommend some of the safest family-friendly beaches in Florida?

Some of the safest and family-friendly beaches in Florida include Cocoa Beach, Fort De Soto Park Beach, and Pensacola Beach. These beaches offer amenities like playgrounds, picnic areas, and calm waters suitable for children.

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These Are The 10 Safest Places In Florida

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The 10 Safest Places in Florida 2015 Edition By Movoto Real Estate Let’s be honest: who doesn’t love Florida ? The beaches for the college kids, the theme parks for the little ones, golf for… well everyone, and some nature that you won’t find anywhere else in the nation. It’s true, this state has a lot to offer, but could it also offer safety to the many people who want to move there? As we’ve found during our research in the past at the Movoto Real Estate Blog, there are some great places for security here. But times change, and the FBI has a new set of crime data to look over. So we’ve updated our results, for all those who are itching to make their home in Florida. Those safest places were: 1. City of Marco Island 2. City of Parkland 3. City of Niceville 4. Village of North Palm Beach 5. City of Winter Springs 6. Town of Key Biscayne 7. City of Punta Gorda 8. City of Oviedo 9. City of Lake Mary 10. Cooper City You might see some new names on this list compared to last year, and there are definitely some familiar faces appearing in the top. To see the top 50 safest places in the state, just scroll to the bottom of this article where there will be a nifty table waiting for you. Or, you can just read on to the next section to find out how we got this ranking in the first place.

Our Methodology

When creating this Big Deal List, we did not rely on personal opinion or experience. Instead we turned to the newly released 2013 FBI Uniform Crime Report to get our data. In our analysis, we looked at all places in Florida with populations of over 10,000 people in terms of the following criteria:

• Vehicle Thefts

Then we divided these crimes into four categories:

• Violent Crimes
• Property Crimes
• Total Crimes

Once we omitted places that didn’t report data to the bureau that year, we were left with 156 places. In order to fairly compare spots with both large and small populations, we calculated all of these crime rates based on crimes per capita (per person). We ranked each place with a score from one to 156 in every criteria, with scores closer to one being safer. Then, we weighted these rankings so that murders, violent crimes, and property crimes each made up 30 percent of the overall score, whereas the total number of crimes accounted for a smaller portion of the final score—10 percent. Lastly, we averaged these weighted rankings together into one overall Big Deal Score, and the place with the lowest number for that score was our safest spot.

1. Marco Island

While the name of this small place may sound exotic, this is actually a pretty homey spot to call your own. Whether it’s the close community, the pretty setting, or just the Florida weather, it’s hard to go wrong with Marco Island. Of course, it’s also a safe haven too. The numbers for this place really spoke for themselves. Marco Island had the lowest violent crime on our entire list, with no murders, rapes, or robberies reported in 2013. It also had one of the lowest vehicle theft rates, with one reported crime of that type that year. The property crime and total crime both ranked No. 3, just one more reason this place is a safe bet in your home search. It’s also worth mentioning that locals had only a 1 in 94 chance of being the victim of any sort of crime.

2. Parkland

Like our No. 1 place, and like all spots in our top 10, this Florida locale had no murders reported the year of our survey. Of course, that wasn’t the only standout score here. The violent crime was the fifth lowest, with only 0.00083 crimes per person, so it’s easy to feel safe in these parts. Your possessions are pretty safe here too, considering Parkland had the second lowest crime of that type in the state. There were especially few vehicle thefts reported during the year of our survey. What all this meant was that this city had the second lowest total crime, and offered residents a very tiny 1 in 100 chance of being the victim of a crime. Not bad for one of the bigger cities in our top 10, at 26,264 people.

3. Niceville

As we may have mentioned last time Niceville showed up on our safety list, this is indeed a nice place to be. Though times have changed, Niceville still easily made our top 10, due to some very strong scores, which included zero murders reported in 2013. We’ll admit, there was a little bit of violent crime here, but seeing as this place ranked 14th out of over 150 cities, that’s still pretty darned good. This place also offered locals a very comforting 1 in 72 chance of being the victim of a crime. To top all that off, Niceville had the fifth lowest property crime as well as the fifth lowest total crime. So residents of this very nice city, rest easy tonight, you’re in a seriously safe spot.

4. North Palm Beach

Okay, come on, who doesn’t want to live here? This little 12,352 person village is close enough to the big fun to be exciting and secluded enough to get away from it all. Besides, how could you go wrong with a place that had absolutely no murders or rapes reported in 2013? Rather than having any one real standout score, this place was great across the board. With the 10th lowest violent crime, the 11th lowest property crime, and the 10th lowest total crime, it’s easy to see why this is a great place to live. It’s also worth mentioning that locals here had a 1 in 60 chance of being the victim of a crime here, which is pretty impressive and definitely something to cheer about.

5. Winter Springs

Worried about your property or personal safety? There’s no need in Winter Springs, considering there were no murders reported here in the year of our study. It also doesn’t hurt that this spot had the fourth lowest property crime per capita, with notably few thefts per capita. This place did have slightly higher violent crime, due to a relatively high number of assaults and burglaries. But it still easily beat out over 80 percent of the state in that category, so there’s really not much to worry about, especially since the chance of being the victim of a crime here was only 1 in 80. All in all, Winter Springs had the fourth lowest total crime per capita on our list and was easily one of the safest spots in Florida during 2013.

6. Key Biscayne

This little locale of only 12,891 residents was simply perfect for anyone worried about the physical safety of their family. Along with the zero murders reported here in 2013, Key Biscayne also experienced no rapes or robberies, and very few assaults. This spot had slightly higher property crime, due to quite a few thefts, but considering there were still merely 0.02 property crimes per person for that year, it’s still not a major issue. Besides, this place still had the 15th lowest total crime on our list. So what, besides not worrying about being attacked or bumped off, did this mean for all those friendly locals? It meant that they had only a 1 in 49 chance of being the victim of a crime, with the chances being almost nonexistent that it would be of the violent sort.

7. Punta Gorda

Sure, this place may very loosely translate to “Point Fat,” but that doesn’t mean this is at all a bad place to live. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Locals here were lucky enough to enjoy the 13th lowest violent crime on our list, which included, as you may have guessed, no murders for the year. More than that, this place had the 14th lowest property crime, with shockingly few vehicle thefts for the year. That left the 16,942 locals with a low 1 in 53 chance of being the victim of a crime, as well as a lot less to worry about. When everything was added up, this spot had the 14th lowest total crime, and easily secured a place on our top 10, as well as its residents.

This spot is also not too new to our top 10 lists, and it lands on this safety list again for some pretty solid reasons. By the numbers, this 35,899 person city was the largest in our top 10, but still managed to have no murder reported in 2013. In fact, this place had pretty low violent crime in every area except for assaults, and even then, there were only 0.0011 crimes of that type per person, which was way better than most of the rest of the state. Beyond that, the scores here were hard to beat. Locals had a 1 in 67 chance of being the victim of a crime, thanks to the sixth lowest property crime as well as the sixth lowest total crime per capita.

9. Lake Mary

You might want to call it quaint, and you might even call it sleepy, but one thing you should definitely call this little 14,836 population locale is safe. By numbers alone, Lake Mary boasted no murders in 2013, as well as very few rapes and robberies. It’s no wonder, then, that this place had the 11th lowest violent crime on our list. There was more to this place, though, than physical safety. The 19th lowest property crime also assured that your possessions would be safe, especially since there were very few thefts reported in the year of our study. In the end, locals of Lake Mary had a mere 1 in 48 chance of being the victim of any sort of crime, backed up by a No. 16 ranking for total crimes per capita.

10. Cooper City

This place may have barely made our top 10, but it certainly had the numbers to earn that spot. This was a slightly bigger place, with 33,706 residents, but it still managed to have impressively few rapes and no murders reported in 2013. The violent crime here was the 19th lowest on our list, which may sound a little high, but it still beat out the majority of bigger and smaller spots here. It also had the 13th lowest property crime, which all added up to this locale having the 11th lowest total crime per capita on our list. Locals will probably say they feel pretty safe here, and the 1 in 55 chance of being the victim of a crime here definitely backs that up. Rest easy tonight, folks, you’re living in a very safe spot.

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Safest Places to Retire in Florida from Hurricanes: Finding Peace of Mind in the Sunshine State

Florida is of course a top retirement destination, offering warm weather, beautiful beaches, and diverse recreational activities. However, the threat of hurricanes is a concern for many retirees. Fortunately, there are several areas in Florida that are considered to be less susceptible to hurricanes, making them ideal for those seeking a safe and secure retirement haven.

What Part of Florida is Safest from Hurricanes?

Generally, the safest areas in Florida from hurricanes are located in the northern and central parts of the state, further inland from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. These areas experience fewer direct hits and are less likely to experience the full force of hurricane winds and storm surge.

Dunedin: A Charming Coastal Town with Low Hurricane Risk

Nestled on the Gulf Coast in Pinellas County, Dunedin is a charming town known for its quaint downtown, vibrant arts scene, and beautiful beaches. While it's located on the coast, Dunedin has a lower hurricane risk compared to other coastal cities due to its location on the northern part of the peninsula and the protection offered by the Pinellas County barrier islands.

Acts Retirement-Life Communities is proud to have a vibrant community in Dunedin , offering residents a safe and fulfilling retirement lifestyle. Our community features independent living, assisted living, and memory care options, as well as a wide range of amenities and activities.

Perhaps most importantly for this discussion, Mease Life – like all Acts communities – is a shelter in place campus with buildings protected from major storms. Meaning you can enjoy the bounty of life in Florida without the fear of how a storm can impact your property and your life.

Other Safe Retirement Havens in Florida

In addition to Dunedin, here are a few other cities and towns in Florida that are considered to be among the safest places from hurricanes:

• Gainesville: Located in North Central Florida, Gainesville is known for its university atmosphere, cultural attractions, and proximity to natural springs and state parks. Its inland location makes it less vulnerable to hurricanes.
• Ocala: Situated in Central Florida, Ocala offers a more relaxed pace of life, with beautiful horse farms, rolling hills, and access to outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and kayaking. Its inland location also reduces the risk of hurricanes.
• The Villages: While not immune to hurricanes, The Villages is a massive retirement community in Central Florida that boasts extensive infrastructure and emergency preparedness measures, making it a relatively safe option for retirees.
• Orlando: While Orlando is located in Central Florida and is less prone to direct hurricane hits, it's important to note that it's not completely immune to tropical storms and their associated rainfall. However, the city has robust emergency management systems in place.

Choosing Your Safe Haven

When selecting a retirement destination in Florida, it's important to consider your individual preferences and priorities. While hurricane risk is a significant factor, you should also weigh factors like cost of living, access to healthcare, cultural attractions, and recreational activities.

If you're wondering what part of Florida is safest from hurricanes, we invite you to explore the retirement community options at Acts Retirement-Life Communities . We offer a variety of communities in different locations, each with its own unique charm and amenities, and all offering powerful protection from storms.

Remember: While these locations offer a lower risk of hurricanes, that does not mean they never strike. It's crucial to stay informed about hurricane preparedness and have an evacuation plan in place, regardless of where you choose to retire in Florida.

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Trump safe after suspect in apparent assassination attempt is arrested; officials say he had semi-automatic rifle, scope and GoPro

A man is in custody after shots were fired Sunday afternoon in what the FBI is calling an apparent “attempted assassination” of Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida — two months after an attempt on the former president’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump, who was rushed to safety during the incident, said in a Truth Social post Sunday night that “it was certainly an interesting day!” He also thanked Secret Service and law enforcement, writing in all capital letters that “The job done was absolutely outstanding.”

Nearly 10 hours earlier, shortly before 2 p.m., Trump was playing a round of golf near his Mar-a-Lago home when a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle with a scope in the bushes outside the course, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference.

The Secret Service opened fire on the man, who was able to get away, fleeing in a black Nissan. As shots rang out, it was unclear whether the person "was able to take a shot at our agents," Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Miami field office, said at the news conference.

A nearby witness took a picture of the car and told authorities, Bradshaw said, helping lead to an arrest. The man taken into custody was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh , 58, according to three senior law enforcement officials. His identity was not released during Sunday's news conference.

An AR-style rifle was recovered from the scene, according to four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the incident. Bradshaw later said the gun was an AK-47 style rifle, and that alongside the fence by the rifle were two backpacks and a GoPro camera.

Authorities' differing descriptions of the weapon involved remained unresolved Monday morning.

Routh has a long criminal and civil court history , including a conviction for possessing a machine gun in 2002. A person named Ryan Routh lived for decades in North Carolina, and a Ryan Routh recently lived in Hawaii, according to property records. NBC News has not confirmed whether it is the same Routh who was taken into custody Sunday.

Routh previously told other news outlets that he had been in Ukraine to help its war effort. He expressed frustration  to Semafor  last year about Ukraine’s caution regarding admitting foreign soldiers, and he told  Newsweek Romania  in June 2022 that he was working to recruit people to the war effort.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was “safe” after the incident.

Trump left the golf course in his motorcade a couple of hours after the incident and headed back to his Mar-a-Lago resort, a source familiar with the matter said. He has arrived at Mar-a-Lago, a separate source said.

A senior law enforcement official briefed on the incident told NBC News that Trump was on the golf course when what sounded like gunfire was heard in the near distance.

He was between the fifth and sixth holes on the golf course when the incident occurred, the source familiar with the matter said. Trump was golfing with his friend and donor Steve Witkoff, the source said.

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said in an MSNBC interview that the federal government would take over the case and that the Justice Department will file charges.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ran against Trump in the Republican presidential primaries before he dropped out and endorsed him, said on X that the state would conduct its own investigation, adding that “the people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”

Sunday’s incident will not affect Trump’s campaign schedule this week, a source said. Trump’s campaign had announced that he would hold a town hall in Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday. He is also scheduled to speak at campaign events in New York on Wednesday, followed by a speech in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and a rally in North Carolina on Saturday.

The second attempt on Trump’s life comes amid heightened partisan rhetoric and fears over political violence just 51 days before Election Day in a presidential race in which polling consistently indicates a tight race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Politicians from both sides of the aisle condemned political violence Sunday and expressed gratitude that Trump was safe.

Harris said in a statement that she was “deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today,” adding that she is “thankful” that Trump is safe.

“As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence,” she said. “We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.”

Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, voiced a similar sentiment on X, saying that “violence has no place in our country.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement that he has been briefed on the situation and that he was “relieved that the former President is unharmed.”

“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety,” Biden said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on X that he spent “a few hours” with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday and called him “unstoppable.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on X that “the perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Trump’s campaign team sent a fundraising email Sunday citing the incident. Trump signed the email, which said his “resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life.”

Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said on X that Trump was "in good spirits."

"Still much we don’t know, but for I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude," Vance said.

About two months have passed since bullets whizzed by Trump’s head, one striking him in the ear, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, when a supporter was killed and two people were critically wounded. The Secret Service shot and killed the gunman. During the chaos, Trump was surrounded by Secret Service agents, who escorted him offstage as he pumped his fist and mouthed "fight," which has become a rallying cry among his supporters.

The Trump campaign and his security apparatus altered campaign rallies after the Butler shooting. While Trump’s team initially planned to stop holding outdoor rallies, the Secret Service ultimately approved bulletproof glass to protect him at outdoor campaign events.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe is traveling to Florida, according to two Secret Service officials. The previous Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, stepped down after the previous attempt on Trump's life.

Trump campaign co-managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a memo to staff members Sunday that "for the second time in two months, an evil monster attempted to take the life of President Trump."

“President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they said in the memo, obtained by NBC News.

Jake Traylor is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.

Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.

Tom Winter is a New York-based correspondent covering crime, courts, terrorism and financial fraud on the East Coast for the NBC News Investigative Unit.

Kelly O’Donnell is Senior White House correspondent for NBC News.

Chloe Atkins reports for the NBC News Investigative Unit, based in New York. She frequently covers crime and courts, as well as the intersection of reproductive health, politics and policy.

Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Suspect Insulted Trump in Book, but Never Fired a Shot

The man, who faces two federal weapons charges, arrived at the former president’s golf course half a day before agents spotted him. He was passionate about Ukraine and self-published a book discussing assassination.

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Adam Goldman and Glenn Thrush

Here’s the latest on the investigation.

The man arrested near Donald J. Trump’s golf course in Florida first approached the perimeter fence near the sixth hole about 12 hours before the former president would have teed off there, according to data retrieved from the man’s cellphone. But officials say the suspect never had Mr. Trump in his sights.

The defendant, Ryan W. Routh, 58, did not get a shot off on Sunday, the agency’s acting director, Ronald L. Rowe Jr., said at a news conference. Instead, agents opened fire on him, preventing what officials have described as an apparent assassination attempt by someone with a lengthy criminal record who discussed the morality of assassination in a self-published book.

Here’s what we’re covering:

The charges: Mr. Routh made a first appearance on Monday in federal court, where he faced charges of possessing a firearm as a felon, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The F.B.I.’s top agent in Miami said the bureau had no information that Mr. Routh had been working with anybody else. Read the criminal complaint .

The suspect: In a rambling online screed titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” Mr. Routh last year called the former president a “buffoon” and several other insults. In one angry passage about the dismantling of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, the author appears to suggest that Iran, and perhaps readers, were “free to assassinate Trump.” Read more about the suspect .

The weapon: Cellphone data indicated that Mr. Routh first entered the woods near Mr. Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., nearly half a day before a Secret Service agent spotted what appeared to be the barrel of a rifle. The complaint detailed the subsequent discovery of a loaded SKS-style rifle — a semiautomatic developed by the Soviets in the 1940s — with a scope, as well as food and a digital camera. Here’s what to know about the weapon .

Assigning blame: The episode cast fresh doubts on the Secret Service’s protective abilities after an apparent would-be killer got close to Mr. Trump for the second time in about two months. President Biden told reporters on Monday that the Secret Service “needs more help,” while Mr. Trump blamed what he called Democrats’ “inflammatory language” for the episode, even as he called them the “enemy from within.” Speaking via livestream on social media on Monday night, Mr. Trump offered his first public description of the events on Sunday, saying that he heard shots in the distance and was then grabbed and moved by Secret Service agents. “I would have loved to have sank that last putt,” he said.

Chris Cameron and Sharon LaFraniere

Donald Trump gave his account of the attempted assassination for the first time in a livestream on social media originally billed as introducing a cryptocurrency venture. He said that he had heard several shots in the distance and then was grabbed and moved by Secret Service agents. He joked that he “would have loved to have sank that last putt” on his golf course, and thanked the Secret Service and local law enforcement for apprehending the suspect.

Michael C. Bender

Vance says the left is to blame for the attempts on Trump’s life, adding that ‘censorship’ leads to violence.

Senator JD Vance of Ohio, in his first public remarks since the apparent assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump, condemned on Monday the inflammatory rhetoric “coming from too many corners of our politics.” But he took specific aim at Democrats, accusing them of going too far in casting Mr. Trump’s potential re-election as the end of democracy.

“I’m not going to say conservatives always get things exactly right,” Mr. Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, told the crowd at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event in Atlanta on Monday evening.

But, he continued, “no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months, and two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months. I think that’s pretty strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric or somebody is going to get hurt.”

In a social media post after his speech, Mr. Vance again blamed Democrats for the assassination attempts and added that “censorship” also plays a role in political violence. Mr. Vance and Mr. Trump have been criticized for spreading unfounded claims that Haitian migrants are eating pets in the town of Springfield, Ohio — claims that were followed by bomb threats targeting city schools . Mr. Vance has defended elevating the debunked rumors by arguing that he is drawing attention to other issues affecting the town that, in his view, have been caused by Democrats and ignored.

“Embrace censorship, and you will inevitably embrace violence on its behalf,” Mr. Vance wrote on X.

Before President Biden dropped out of the race, he campaigned heavily on portraying Mr. Trump as a threat to democracy. Vice President Kamala Harris has touched on it, too, but made it less of a focus of her campaign.

But Mr. Trump has often used violent language to describe his political rivals, likening them to “vermin” that he has pledged to “root out.” Earlier on Monday, he echoed Mr. Vance’s claim that “inflammatory language” from Democrats had provoked Sunday’s incident in West Palm Beach, Fla., and then called Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris the “enemy from within” and “the real threat.”

Mr. Vance said he first learned about the suspect’s arrest in a phone call from Mr. Trump. “JD, you’re not going to believe it, but they tried to do it again,” Mr. Vance recalled the former president telling him.

Mr. Vance said he had asked Mr. Trump if he was OK, and the former president told him he was fine — but upset because he was about to putt for birdie when the Secret Service interrupted the game.

“That is the kind of guy that you want to be president,” Mr. Vance said to applause from the Atlanta crowd. “He’s fazed by nothing and telling jokes afterward.”

Course is surrounded

by trees and fencing

Gun Club Road

Trump International

Trump was in

this area of

the golf course

Summit Boulevard

South Congress Ave.

Heavy police

activity seen here

after suspect fled

International Airport

Aerial image via Google Earth

By Lily Boyce, Lazaro Gamio and Helmuth Rosales/The New York Times

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Thomas Gibbons-Neff

The rifle found at Trump’s golf course is relatively cheap and niche compared with the AR-15.

The SKS semiautomatic rifle that federal investigators say Ryan W. Routh, the suspect in an apparent assassination attempt on former president Donald J. Trump, left behind at Mr. Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course in Florida was loaded but had not been fired that day.

The rifle, designed by the Soviets in the 1940s with a self-loading carbine system, was found propped on a fence at the golf club, affixed with a telescopic sight, police photos showed.

The weapon is a semiautomatic SKS, or Samozaryadny Karabin Sistemy Simonova, named after its designer, Sergei G. Simonov. After its introduction, it was quickly surpassed in portability, accuracy and the ability to fire fully automatically by assault rifles like the AK-47, but it still appeared in conflicts around the globe. It was smaller than the bigger infantry rifles like those carried in World War II and relatively easy to maintain.

In a news conference on Monday, investigators said that Mr. Routh was near the public side of the fence near the sixth hole when Mr. Trump was moving through the fifth green, more than several hundred yards away. That distance would have made a shot from Mr. Routh’s location difficult.

Mr. Routh never had the former president in sight, Ronald Rowe Jr., acting director of the U.S. Secret Service, said in a news conference Monday.

The rifle, which loads a clip of bullets into a magazine fixed to the gun, fires the same size bullet as a Kalashnikov, 7.62x39 millimeters. It is somewhat accurate in the hands of a trained shooter but was often used by foot soldiers. The weapon was also adopted and rebranded by the Chinese and other countries.

In the United States, the SKS has been a staple among collectors and some hunters. The rifle is relatively cheap, costing a few hundred dollars, and it is legal in states with more restrictive guns laws that limit features like detachable magazines and pistol grips.

The rifle found at Mr. Trump’s golf course appeared to be modernized, made of plastic and loaded with a detachable magazine commonly seen on rifles like the AR-15 or the Kalashnikov.

Jeffrey Veltri, F.B.I. special agent in charge of the Miami field office, said the rifle’s serial number had been “obliterated.”

In an interview with The New York Times in 2023 , Mr. Routh said he had no military experience, so it is unclear if he had any idea how to manipulate the weapon or fire it accurately.

In the pantheon of American gun ownership, the SKS sits beneath the popular AR-15 . For some hobbyists, the SKS is a staple of their collection, kept to use with little care for its longevity.

The Secret Service admits it did not search the golf course’s perimeter.

The Secret Service did not search the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday before former President Donald J. Trump began his round, an acknowledgment that has put the besieged agency under renewed scrutiny two months after a similar episode in Pennsylvania.

The decision raises further questions about whether the Secret Service has the resources and ability to adequately perform its duties during a time of increasing violence and a unique campaign between a sitting vice president and a former president.

While the agency’s acting director hailed a Secret Service agent for acting swiftly and preventing any harm to Mr. Trump on Sunday, the F.B.I. said that data from a gunman’s cellphone indicated he spent almost 12 hours near the course before he aimed a rifle in the direction of Mr. Trump while he was golfing.

In remarks to reporters at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on Monday afternoon, Ronald L. Rowe Jr., the Secret Service’s acting director, said, “The president wasn’t even really supposed to go there.”

Mr. Rowe said Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, did not have an outing on the course on his official schedule. Mr. Rowe did not clarify in his statements whether this meant that agents did not have time to sweep the golf course. Yet it is public knowledge that Mr. Trump frequently plays golf at one of his Florida courses on Sundays, raising the risk level for the former president.

Mr. Rowe praised his agents for spotting the barrel of a gun poking through the bushes of the golf club and firing at the suspect, Ryan W. Routh, 58, before he could get off a shot. A manhunt commenced, leading to Mr. Routh being detained soon after. He was charged in federal court on Monday with possession of a firearm as a felon.

The Secret Service’s methods “were effective yesterday,” Mr. Rowe said. He pointed to “early” identification of the threat, an immediate evacuation of Mr. Trump and the help of increased protective measures — including the presence of countersnipers.

But after Sunday’s episode, legislators, law enforcement officials and Secret Service alumni questioned whether the embattled agency was still up to its mission of protecting current and former presidents and their families.

“I’m very concerned at reports that the suspect allegedly was in the bushes for 11 hours,” said Beth Celestini, a longtime Secret Service agent who protected President Barack Obama before retiring in 2021. “The Secret Service has protocols where if enacted, this suspect should have been discovered before the incident.”

Ronald Layton, a 26-year veteran of the agency who led divisions with oversight of protection and event security, asked, “Was this just luck that you caught this guy, or did you have the appropriate mechanisms in place for these kinds of things on the threat spectrum?”

Mr. Rowe said that in order to handle an increasingly challenging threat environment, the Secret Service would need Congress to provide more funding for personnel, overtime and facilities.

His appeal had already received the endorsement of President Biden, who had told White House reporters on Monday morning that “the Service needs more help” and that Congress “should respond to their needs.”

Aides involved with the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose private discussions, said the panels were reviewing the Secret Service’s requests.

At the same time, top House officials are considering whether to hold a vote to expand the jurisdiction of an investigative task force to include Sunday’s events, according to two people familiar with the matter. The House task force is investigating the circumstances of the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pa., in which a would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., shot at Mr. Trump during a campaign rally.

Mr. Trump’s ear was grazed and a rallygoer was killed. It is unclear whether the episode in West Palm Beach was also within the task force’s jurisdiction.

The Secret Service is now undertaking its second internal review in two months, hoping to determine whether it handled the events of Sunday properly.

The agents who are tasked with protecting current and former presidents and their families are working long hours with little reprieve.

In addition to protecting foreign leaders who visit the United States, the Secret Service guards more than 40 people: Mr. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr. Trump, other former presidents and their immediate families. An increase in hate speech and violent threats has complicated the agency’s mission.

Since Butler, the Secret Service has reassigned members of Mr. Biden’s advance team to Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris, provided special glass to surround Mr. Trump during campaign events and received additional resources from the Pentagon. Its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, has also deployed 1,500 investigations agents of its own to bolster the Secret Service’s ranks.

Chronic personnel shortages, worsened by the job’s long and sometimes grueling hours, have left the Secret Service both short-handed and underfunded in areas like facilities and technology.

In response to offers from lawmakers to provide additional funding, Mr. Rowe also wrote to two senators this month — before Sunday’s close call.

“The increased mission requirements of the Secret Service necessitate additional resources to ensure that we have the tools, resources and personnel needed to meet these new requirements,” Mr. Rowe wrote in the Sept. 5 letter.

Those resources, which were detailed in additional pages of the letter that have not been reviewed by The New York Times, do not appear to have come through yet. But on Monday, Mr. Rowe said he was optimistic they would.

“Success, we have to have it every day. We cannot have failures,” he said. “And in order to do that, we’re going to have some hard conversations with Congress.”

Reporting was contributed by Eileen Sullivan , Hamed Aleaziz , Luke Broadwater and Audra D. S. Burch .

Patricia Mazzei Thomas Gibbons-Neff Eduardo Medina and Glenn Thrush

Patricia Mazzei reported from Miami, and Eduardo Medina from Greensboro, N.C.

The suspect has a history of crusading for causes.

The man arrested after apparently plotting to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump at one of his Florida golf courses on Sunday appeared to tell Iran in a rambling self-published book last year that it was “free to assassinate Trump.”

The self-aggrandizing book, titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” along with social media posts and other public statements from the suspect, Ryan W. Routh, reflected his intense desire to fight for Ukraine. He also took a dim view of Mr. Trump, referring to him as a “fool,” “idiot” and “buffoon.”

“Democracy has dissolved quickly under our watch,” Mr. Routh wrote, describing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as a catastrophe “perpetrated by Donald Trump and his undemocratic posse.”

How Mr. Routh, a peripatetic activist and building contractor with an extensive criminal record, came to possess a semiautomatic rifle, learn of Mr. Trump’s weekend whereabouts and wait for him on the edge of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., remains unknown.

But a review of public records and Mr. Routh’s writings, as well as interviews with people who knew him, suggest that he saw himself as an active and influential participant in momentous world events, while becoming estranged from at least some of his family and nearly destitute in the process.

Mr. Routh has been a serial crusader for causes large and small dating back to at least 1996, when he campaigned against graffiti in Greensboro, N.C., where he lived for decades. In July, he urged President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the social media platform X to visit the victims of the assassination attempt against Mr. Trump in Butler, Pa., writing that “Trump will never do anything for them.”

“Show the world what compassion and humanity is all about,” Mr. Routh wrote on July 16.

In other social media posts, he tagged world leaders and celebrities like Elton John and Elon Musk, often providing his phone number and email as if expecting a response.

Mr. Routh appears to have spent much of his life in Greensboro, a city of about 300,000, though in recent years he had lived in Hawaii.

In December 2002, he was convicted of a felony for “possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction,” according to the criminal complaint. That year, he was arrested in Greensboro after barricading himself inside a building with a fully automatic weapon, according to a local newspaper and Tracy Fulk, a former Greensboro police officer who said she had pulled him over and spotted a gun in his truck before he fled.

“He acted like he had some sort of mental health issues,” she recalled.

Mr. Routh’s other criminal charges in North Carolina include possession of a stolen motor vehicle, possession of stolen goods and several driving violations.

Yet records show that he was a concerned citizen interested in local causes.

In the 1990s, he appeared in the pages of a local newspaper as a family man decorating his 1840s log cabin home for Halloween, and as a good Samaritan who won a “Law Enforcement Oscar” for chasing a suspected rapist in his neighborhood.

In 1996, a Greensboro newspaper published a letter from Mr. Routh decrying “the ever increasing amount of graffiti” in the city as a “constant reminder of the moral disintegration of our America.”

And two decades ago, he supported his teenage son’s efforts to establish a skate park in Guilford County, N.C., which includes Greensboro. Mr. Routh helped the teenagers get permission to use a piece of property owned by an oil company. One of the skaters, Will Milsun, now 36, recalled in an interview on Monday that Mr. Routh had shown the boys how to bend plywood to construct quarter pipes.

Mr. Milsun said Mr. Routh was an active father who wanted his three children to be self-reliant and productive. Mr. Routh’s daughter ran a small business printing T-shirts. He wanted his skateboarding son to be “more involved in doing stuff for yourself, and to be productive,” Mr. Milsun said.

Mr. Milsun also worked alongside Mr. Routh’s son at Mr. Routh’s roofing company. He recalled about 70 employees and three project managers.

“I didn’t think he was really political,” Mr. Milsun said after learning of Mr. Routh’s arrest.

Mr. Routh’s social media posts suggest that he was a Trump supporter in 2016 but had turned against him by 2020. He voted in North Carolina’s Democratic primary this year, records show.

Relatives of Mr. Routh in North Carolina and Hawaii did not respond to requests for comment.

This year, Mr. Routh and his daughter sold their “dilapidated” home in Greensboro for about $175,000, said David Hagaman, a real estate agent who helped his business associate buy the property.

In Hawaii, Mr. Routh built storage units and tiny houses. Tomas Baggio, 32, credited Mr. Routh with quickly building him and his wife a 120-square-foot home in 2021 for $14,000, just a fraction of what other contractors had quoted them.

“If it wasn’t for him, my wife and I wouldn’t have a place to live right now,” Mr. Baggio said.

Saili Levi, the owner of a vanilla farm, hired Mr. Routh to build what Mr. Levi called a small “shop on wheels” so he could more easily haul his products to farmer’s markets. Mr. Levi found Mr. Routh to be a “scattered” man who seemed unable to accept responsibility.

Mr. Levi said that Mr. Routh’s work was shoddy, and that after the two had verbally sparred about it Mr. Levi received an email full of cutting insults and references to Mr. Routh’s involvement in international conflicts.

“I spent 5 months in Ukraine last year,” Mr. Routh wrote, “and 3 months there this year, and 2 weeks in DC and 2 weeks in Taiwan this year volunteering and trying to supply thousands of Afghan soldiers to help win the war.”

“Perhaps I would be happier dead on the front lines than dealing with rich people in fancy cars as I drive old broken down vehicles and hoping to keep my account out of the negative and hoping for food to eat,” he added. “China and Russia will certainly win at this rate.”

Many of the 291 pages of Mr. Routh’s book are filled with graphically violent and bloody images of soldiers and civilians from a range of conflicts. In one convoluted passage, Mr. Routh apologized to Iran for Mr. Trump’s dismantling of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal, and then wrote “you are free to assassinate Trump.”

The Associated Press was the first to report on the book.

Weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Mr. Routh posted on social media that he was willing to die for the cause and headed to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, shortly after.

Not long after his arrival, Mr. Routh was told that he would be of no use on the frontline because of his age and lack of military experience, he told The New York Times last year. So he pivoted, hoping to recruit foreign fighters and set up tributes to those killed in battle.

Mr. Routh had set up a website called “Fight for Ukraine,” in which he explained how to travel there and join the Ukrainian army as a foreign fighter. For the better part of a year, his main focus was getting hundreds of Afghan soldiers, who had fled after their country’s government collapsed, to fight for Ukraine.

Mr. Routh had lofty ideas, some of them illegal, when it came to accomplishing his plans, such as paying officials, forging documents and using U.S. military aircraft to fly Afghans into Poland.

But he was dogged in his approach, according to one soldier who fought with Ukraine and helped officially recruit foreign fighters for Ukraine’s foreign legion.

The soldier, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information, said that Mr. Routh often offered to provide recruits from the Middle East in exchange for a commission. He added that he was not aware of Mr. Routh getting any foreign fighters into Ukraine.

By the summer of 2023, Mr. Routh had become frustrated with Ukrainian demands and red tape, and his zeal turned into disillusionment and contempt.

“He started getting a bad taste in his mouth for Ukraine,” said David M. Edwards Jr., a retired U.S. Army ranger and founder of Project Exodus Relief, a group advocating the evacuation of U.S.-trained Afghan military members.

Mr. Edwards connected Mr. Routh with several Afghan fighters who were trying to leave Kabul but noticed that “something was off,” he said. Ultimately, Mr. Routh left the Afghan fighters stranded halfway on their journey to Ukraine, with no support or money to return to Afghanistan, Mr. Edwards said.

But one former Afghan soldier, who was one of the first refugees that Mr. Routh had tried to help, stayed in touch until just days before Mr. Routh’s arrest in Florida on Sunday. The soldier, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was afraid of reprisals, said that Mr. Routh was living out of the back of his car. In a WhatsApp message to the soldier, Mr. Routh sent a picture of his trunk filled with clothes and sleeping items, with the caption “my house.”

He also sent the soldier a picture of his bank account: It only had $68 left.

Still, the soldier said that just days before he was arrested, Mr. Routh was still sending money to a friend, an Afghan commando, who was stuck in Kenya and trying to get to Ukraine.

Reporting was contributed by Adam Goldman in Washington, D.C.; Najim Rahim in Alexandria, Va.; Kurt Streeter in Seattle; Audra D. S. Burch and Jane Smith in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Constant Méheut and Evelina Riabenko in Kyiv; and Maggie Astor , Halina Bennet , Michael Corkery , Hank Sanders , Robin Stein and Isabelle Taft in New York. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.

Zach Montague

A White House official said President Biden has spoken with Donald Trump and conveyed relief that he was safe. The two shared a cordial conversation, and Trump expressed his thanks for the call, the official said.

Kurt Streeter

A farmer in Hawaii recalls a 2022 business dispute with the suspect that turned strange.

Saili Levi, owner of a vanilla farm in Hawaii, wanted someone to build what he calls a little “shop on wheels” so he could more easily haul his products to farmers’ markets.

The man he chose in 2022 to build that mobile shop was Ryan W. Routh, the peripatetic 58-year-old who was arrested on Sunday in what the F.B.I. called an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump.

The experience left Mr. Levi angry and bewildered. In an interview with The New York Times, he recalled Mr. Routh as a “scattered” man who did shoddy work and seemed unable to accept responsibility. Mr. Routh did not talk about the former president, Mr. Levi said, but made it known that he was intently focused on foreign conflicts.

In the end, after the two had verbally sparred about Mr. Routh’s work and Mr. Levi had refused to finish paying him, Mr. Levi received an email with a series of cutting insults. “I spent thousands of dollars supporting freedom, human rights and democracy around the world,” Mr. Routh wrote in the email, “and I come back to bullshit such as this.”

From the beginning, Mr. Levi said, something seemed off about his dealings with Mr. Routh.

He said he had reached out to Mr. Routh, the owner of a company called Camp Box Honolulu, which builds tiny homes. Its address is less than six miles from Mr. Routh’s listed home address in Kaaawa, on Oahu’s northeastern coast. Mr. Levi said he set up an appointment to discuss the mobile shop project — and then Mr. Routh disappeared.

“He ghosted me for a couple of months,” Mr. Levi said. Eventually, Mr. Routh got back in touch. A design plan was mapped out. Mr. Levi handed over an initial down payment of $3,800.

Problems quickly arose. When Mr. Levi went to inspect the work, he was aghast. “It was just a terrible job,” he said. “It looked like the plywood that they used to build our shelves was used material.” It seemed, he said, that Mr. Routh had “ripped it off from another job.”

“Everything was uneven,” Levi continued. “It wasn’t even leveled. Nothing centered.” A window to serve customers “opened the wrong way.”

Mr. Levi told Mr. Routh that the work was unacceptable. “Either give me my money back,” he recalled saying, or fix the multitude of problems.

Mr. Routh did neither.

“This is the final product,” Mr. Levi recalled him saying. “If you don’t like it, too bad.” Mr. Routh demanded the final payment. Mr. Levi said no. Mr. Routh ended up keeping the mobile shop.

The two kept arguing, Mr. Levi said. “He was saying it’s people like me ‘that complain about these things, that make the country the way it is,’” Mr. Levi said. “And I’m like, ‘That’s nothing to do with your quality of work.’”

On Aug. 1, 2023, Mr. Routh sent Mr. Levi the cutting email.

He called the complaints about his work “baffling” and proceeded to blame Mr. Levi for any problems. “We went above and beyond,” he wrote, “and in the end, you disliked everything.”

Mr. Routh wrapped up his email with a summary of his work to promote freedom, human rights and democracy around the world.

“I spent 5 months in Ukraine last year,” he wrote, “and 3 months there this year, and 2 weeks in DC and 2 weeks in Taiwan this year volunteering and trying to supply thousands of Afghan soldiers to help win the war.”

“I have been home less than a month,” he added, “and this is the quality of humanity that I must face; ungrateful, selfish rich people; blows my mind.”

And he wrote: “Perhaps I would be happier dead on the front lines than dealing with rich people in fancy cars as I drive old broken down vehicles and hoping to keep my account out of the negative and hoping for food to eat. China and Russia will certainly win at this rate.”

Mr. Routh signed off with six terse words for his unhappy customer.

“You disappoint me as a human.”

Eileen Sullivan

Reporting from Washington

Here’s how Secret Service details are assigned.

For years, the Secret Service has meted out its limited protection resources based on the person the agency was protecting. The sitting president and vice president are assigned the highest amount of protection. Former presidents, major-party candidates and visiting dignitaries receive less.

Former President Donald J. Trump broke the mold for shaping protective details when he left office in 2021, because he maintained an intense schedule that demanded a suite of protection not previously seen for former commanders in chief.

The Secret Service would not disclose the exact number of agents and different types of protective resources assigned to the around 40 people it currently protects. But the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump in Butler, Pa., and another on Sunday at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., have forced a reckoning of the longtime model and its relevance in today’s threat environment.

This is what we know about how the Secret Service guards its protectees.

The sitting president and vice president are always the highest priority for protection resources.

That is because the Secret Service’s priority is to protect the continuity of government — in other words, to keep the president and the vice president safe so that they can run the country. This is why they will always get the most assets, from personnel to technology, assigned to them.

While the president always has a Secret Service countersniper — an agent trained to take out an assassin who has a gun — assigned to his protection, that has not always been the case for the vice president, according to a former official with knowledge of the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

There are notable differences in assets assigned to the president and the vice president, as well. By law the Defense Department must provide certain resources to help the Secret Service protect the president, such as aircraft to transport the president and security equipment. That requirement is not established in law for the vice president or others under Secret Service protection.

Former presidents and their spouses receive lifetime protection, but it is not one size fits all.

Some former presidents are more active and more exposed than others and thus require larger permanent protective details. For instance, former President Jimmy Carter, who is in hospice care, does not need the same amount of resources to be protected as former President Barack Obama, who continues to travel and make public appearances.

Mr. Trump maintained a presidential-esque schedule after he left office, including rallies — something the Secret Service had not seen from a former president.

As one of the most polarizing people in the world, Mr. Trump also drew more attention than other former presidents, raising the risk that he could be harmed. Even before the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania in July, the Secret Service had increased the resources to secure his South Florida home and his protective detail, the former Secret Service director, Kimberly A. Cheatle, told Congress in July.

Depending on the threat to protectees, they might be assigned even more resources, which is what happened in Butler. The Secret Service assigned two countersniper teams to go to the rally in response to a heightened threat environment. It was the first time those Secret Service resources were deployed for a former president, said the agency’s acting director, Ronald L. Rowe Jr.

Since then, the agency has allocated even more resources to Mr. Trump’s protective package, such as ballistic glass to protect him at outdoor campaign rallies.

But there is always the issue of how many resources are actually available. The Secret Service has a certain amount of detection equipment like drones or infrared radar detectors and may not be able to spare them to secure a former president if those resources are already in use for the sitting president, for instance.

Typically, major candidates receive protection at a certain point in the election cycle.

The Secret Service has long operated under the plan that it provides protection to major presidential and vice-presidential candidates within 120 days of the general election. This year, however, it broke with that model and provided security to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , the independent presidential candidate at the time, whose campaign had been asking for a protective detail for months.

The homeland security secretary, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, decided to extend protection to Mr. Kennedy after the Butler rally. Mr. Mayorkas consults with a panel of top congressional lawmakers on such decisions.

Certain foreign dignitaries also receive Secret Service protection.

The Secret Service divides its protection of foreign dignitaries into three categories: low, medium and high, with those in the highest category getting the most resources. For example, the Israeli prime minister would get more resources than the prime minister of the Seychelles, said Ronald Layton, a 26-year veteran of the Secret Service who led divisions with oversight of protection and event security.

The foreign dignitary who received the most resources was Pope Francis when he visited the United States in 2015, Mr. Layton said.

Anushka Patil

A brief body cam video shows the arrest of the suspect.

Video shows arrest of suspect in trump assassination attempt, the martin county sheriff’s office released body camera footage of the arrest of ryan wesley routh, the man suspected of trying to kill the former president at trump international golf club in west palm beach, fla..

“Driver, take two steps to your right. Take two steps to your right.” “Come back.” “Driver — walk straight back. Keep walking.”

A brief segment of body camera video showing the arrest of Ryan W. Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, was released on Monday by the sheriff’s office just to the north, in Martin County, Fla.

Officers with the sheriff’s office stopped the vehicle Mr. Routh was driving, a Nissan S.U.V., as he drove northbound on Interstate 95 around 2:14 p.m. on Sunday, according to a federal criminal complaint .

The video, less than a minute long, shows several law enforcement officers from the back, with their weapons drawn, shouting instructions for the driver to take two steps to his right and then to walk backward toward them. Mr. Routh, wearing sunglasses, long pants and a light pink T-shirt, is briefly seen walking backward with his arms in the air, holding the hem of his shirt over his head, before officers handcuff him and take him into custody.

According to the federal complaint, the stop occurred about 45 minutes after a Secret Service agent opened fire after seeing a rifle barrel poking through a tree line at Mr. Trump’s golf course. A witness who saw a man leave the area, enter a Nissan S.U.V. and quickly drive off was later brought to the scene of the stop and identified the person as Mr. Routh, the complaint said.

Mr. Routh was the only person in the vehicle, which bore a stolen license plate, the complaint said.

Glenn Thrush

Ric L. Bradshaw, the Palm Beach County sheriff, said he had spoken with Donald Trump and the former president told him that he feels “safe.”

Adam Goldman

The F.B.I.’s top agent in Miami says in a news conference that the bureau has no information that the suspect was working with anybody else.

Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service director, says the agency needs to shift the way it operates, and its counter snipers need to be as good those in the military’s most elite units. “We don’t have an alternative,” Rowe said.

“Our agents and our protective methodology,” combined with enhancements to Donald Trump’s detail made after the first assassination attempt on him, worked on Sunday, said Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service director.

Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service director, said that the suspect was on the public side of the Trump golf course's perimeter fence when he was observed by agents leveling his gun.

Authorities said that the man suspected in an apparent attempted assassination of former President Trump did not fire any shots.

The man did not have Trump in his sightline, and did not fire or get off any shots at “our agents,” said Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service director.

As former President Trump was moving through the fifth fairway across the course and out of sight of the sixth green, the agent who was visually sweeping the area of the sixth green saw the subject armed with what he perceived to be a rifle and immediately discharged his firearm. The subject, who did not have line of sight to the former president, fled the scene. He did not fire or get off any shots at our agent.

The F.B.I.’s top agent in Miami said the suspect in the apparent attempted assassination of Donald Trump was the subject of a previous 2019 investigation by the bureau based on a tip that he was in possession of a firearm as a felon. The F.B.I Interviewed the person who made the complaint, and the case was closed after the bureau did not receive any additional information.

He was the subject of a previously closed 2019 tip to the F.B.I., where it was alleged he was a felon in possession of a firearm. In following up on the tip, the alleged complainant interviewed was interviewed and did not verify — I repeat, did not verify — providing the initial information. The F.B.I. passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu.

Audra Burch

So far in this news conference on the apparent attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, has largely repeated the allegations in the criminal complaint filed earlier today .

A self-published book credited to the suspect seems to suggest Iran, and perhaps readers, should feel ‘free to assassinate Trump.’

The man arrested after apparently plotting to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump at his Florida golf course on Sunday was listed as the author of a rambling, self-aggrandizing, self-published 2023 book in which he appears to tell Iran — and perhaps readers — that it was “free to assassinate Trump.”

The book credited to the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh — “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War” — aligns closely with Mr. Routh’s social media posts and public statements reflecting his desire to fight and possibly die for Ukraine, and his searing hatred for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

Many of the book’s 291 pages contain graphic and bloody images of soldiers and civilians from conflicts around the world. The prose is written by someone who seems to fashion himself an expert on world events, and not as a peripatetic pro-Ukraine activist and building contractor with a criminal record.

Mr. Routh, 58, took a particularly dim view of Mr. Trump, referring to him as a “fool,” an “idiot” and a “buffoon,” while comparing him unfavorably to a generation of despotic world leaders that included Mr. Putin and Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil.

“Democracy has dissolved quickly under our watch,” Mr. Routh wrote, describing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as a catastrophe “perpetrated by Donald Trump and his undemocratic posse.”

In one convoluted passage, Mr. Routh vented his anger at Mr. Trump’s dismantling of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran.

After writing “Iran, I apologize,” Mr. Routh added, “you are free to assassinate Trump” — although he moves freely in the book between addressing his general readers and specific subjects.

Mr. Trump and his allies have long warned about the threat posed by Iran to the former president’s personal safety. In August, the Justice Department charged a Pakistani man who had recently visited Iran with trying to hire a hit man to assassinate political figures in the United States . Investigators believe that those potential targets likely included Mr. Trump.

But at other points, he suggests that he did not always feel so negatively about Mr. Trump — and goes on to say that readers should also feel free to kill him for some of his own prior positions.

Mr. Routh’s connection to the book was first reported by The Associated Press.

In the book, Mr. Routh is critical of President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, though he praises “frail, old Biden” for having the “backbone” to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

His most vitriolic language is directed at Mr. Putin.

In Chapter 18 — titled “Why has Putin not been assassinated?” — he writes, “We all ponder as to why our great minds did not simply kill Hitler early on, and now why have we not taken steps to kill Putin at all costs.”

Mr. Routh does not appear to deplore all autocrats equally. He offers a relatively positive assessment of Kim Jong-un of North Korea, describing him as reasonable, and a Western-educated leader who can be swayed with diplomacy and politesse.

And Mr. Routh viewed himself as just the man who could do it.

“I will gladly go many months or years to build a relationship with North Korea,” he wrote. “If an NBA basketball star like Dennis Rodman can make a peaceful friendship with Kim then perhaps he and I should be ambassadors to North Korea.”

Local and federal authorities are expected to offer more details shortly in a news conference about the man arrested after what officials are calling an apparent attempted assassination of former President Trump. Representatives from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, the Miami field office of the F.B.I., the Secret Service and the Palm Beach County sheriff’s office are expected to speak.

Michael Gold and Maggie Astor

Trump, using harsh language, urges Democrats to tone down theirs.

Former President Donald J. Trump on Monday morning claimed “inflammatory language” from Democrats had provoked what the authorities are investigating as an assassination attempt against him, urging his rivals to tone down their speech even as he called them the “enemy from within” and “the real threat.”

Hours later, Mr. Trump in a social media post sought to link both Sunday’s incident and the attempt on his life in July to statements Vice President Kamala Harris has made and to the four criminal cases he is facing.

The authorities have not yet publicly commented on a motive for the suspect, who was arrested after fleeing Mr. Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday. But Mr. Trump told Fox News Digital on Monday that the gunman “believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it.”

Mr. Trump — who often uses violent language and whose frequent lies about the 2020 election led some of his supporters to violently attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — predicted an increase in political violence in his post online, saying, “Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!”

His statements come as he has also increasingly voiced suspicions about the attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Pa., in July, in which one attendee was killed, two others were critically injured and Mr. Trump was struck in the ear.

Law enforcement officials have yet to identify the motives of the gunman in that shooting, who was killed by Secret Service agents. But Mr. Trump has recently pointed to President Biden and Ms. Harris: During his debate with Ms. Harris, he said that he “probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me.”

In Monday’s interview with Fox News, Mr. Trump called out Democrats’ accusations that he is a threat to democracy. The shorthand is often used by Democrats in reference to a number of Mr. Trump’s actions, like his promotion of debunked 2020 election lies, his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and his threats to use the levers of government against his political opponents.

Mr. Biden, before he dropped out of the race, campaigned heavily on portraying Mr. Trump as a threat to democracy . Ms. Harris has made that less of a focus of her campaign, but has touched on it. Some of Mr. Trump’s supporters in Congress claim that such portrayals, as well as phrases like “extreme MAGA Republicans” and exhortations to “stop him” from holding power again, constitute incitement.

Mr. Trump has said his political opponents are the true threats to democracy as he claims without evidence that Mr. Biden coordinated the four criminal cases against him and that Ms. Harris’s replacing him on the Democratic ticket was tantamount to a “coup.”

During a livestream on social media originally billed as introducing a cryptocurrency venture, Mr. Trump attacked Ms. Harris. “We have to save our country,” he said during a discussion. “We can’t play games, so we can’t have a Marxist communist president, because that’s not what it’s all about.”

Over the past year, the former president has likened his political opponents to “vermin” that he pledged to “root out” and described the left as an “enemy from within” that posed a more pernicious threat to America’s well-being than foreign enemies. He has suggested that some of his opponents should be subject to military tribunals for treason; urged his supporters to “go after” the New York attorney general, whose office filed a lawsuit against him for fraud; and said that Democrats are destroying the country.

Yet in his Fox News interview, Mr. Trump insisted he did not use “highly inflammatory language,” but added, “I can use it, too — far better than they can — but I don’t.”

The man charged in Sunday’s incident, Ryan Wesley Routh , has a muddled political history. At various points he appears to have spoken positively about candidates in both parties, including Tulsi Gabbard when she ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 (she has since left the party and is now aligned with Mr. Trump). Also in 2020, he invited Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, to Hawaii. And in an interview with The New York Times last year, Mr. Routh, a former roofing contractor with no military experience, said he was willing to fight and die in Ukraine.

He has been charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Hours after reports of Sunday’s incident emerged, Mr. Trump sent a fund-raising email using similar language to that he has used to describe the criminal cases against him and the July assassination attempt. “Nothing will slow me down,” he wrote. “I will NEVER SURRENDER!”

His campaign’s home page was replaced by a fund-raising appeal claiming that “there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us.”

Chris Cameron contributed reporting.

Investigators say the suspect had a loaded SKS-style semi-automatic assault rifle. The SKS is a Soviet-era rifle developed in the 1940s. It’s rugged and reliable, fairly accurate, and loaded with a clip that is fed from the top down into the firing chamber, although the weapon can be modified to be fired with a detachable magazine.

The SKS has appeared around the world in various conflicts and is popular in the United States, given its relatively low cost of around several hundred dollars.

President Biden started his remarks at a conference for historically Black colleges and universities in Philadelphia by addressing the apparent assassination attempt. “In America, we resolve our difference peacefully at the ballot box, not at the end of a gun,” he said.

The Secret Service plans to conduct an internal review of the security incident at the Florida golf course, said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the service. The planned review, known as a mission assurance investigation, follows a similar review of a shooting in Butler, Pa., in July, in which Trump was slightly wounded and a spectator was killed.

In the wake of the Butler shooting, the Secret Service requested additional money from Congress to help address its protective duties. In a Sept. 5 letter to Senate leaders who oversee the agency's funding, the acting director, Ronald L. Rowe Jr., asked for “tools, resources and personnel” to “execute our mission going forward.”

Protecting Trump after he left office was harder than expected, the Secret Service director said in 2022.

Former President Donald J. Trump’s intense schedule broke the mold for protecting former presidents.

In 2022, the director of the Secret Service at the time, James Murray, told Congress that Mr. Trump’s events and pace exceeded what the people tasked with protecting him had expected.

“We’re seeing rallies, where we’ve never seen this before,” Mr. Murray, who has since left the agency, told lawmakers during a House Appropriations Committee hearing in May 2022. “And we’re seeing sometimes two, three, four of these rallies every month.”

The presidential pace of the former president soon became taxing on the agency, Mr. Murray said.

When providing protective operations for a sitting president or vice president, the Secret Service gets support from the Defense Department, Mr. Murray told lawmakers. That means the U.S. Air Force provides air travel for the protectee and Secret Service agents, he said. It also takes on the job of transporting Secret Service vehicles, equipment and other assets.

Once that president leaves office, Mr. Murray testified, the Secret Service loses that support.

“That has been a challenge and one we could not have made assumptions about even six months ago,” Mr. Murray told lawmakers.

Since the attempt on Mr. Trump’s life in Butler, Pa., in July, the Defense Department agreed to provide additional logistical support to the Secret Service. Officials did not disclose precisely what that meant.