The 10 Safest Cities In Florida For 2026

The safest cities in Florida are Gulf Breeze and Vero Beach for 2026 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 100 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.

1

No. 1 safest city in Florida

Gulf Breeze, FL

6,991 people SnackAbility 8/10
8/10
Gulf Breeze, FL
Source: Wikipedia User Sunpowerpack | CC BY-SA 3.0
14 violent / 315 property per 100k
Map of Gulf Breeze within Florida Located in Santa Rosa County, Florida
Violent / 100k -93% vs FL
14
FL 215
Property / 100k -81% vs FL
315
FL 1,634
2

No. 2 safest city in Florida

Vero Beach, FL

17,622 people SnackAbility 7/10
7/10
Vero Beach, FL
Source: Wikipedia User Robert Lawton | CC BY 2.5
45 violent / 272 property per 100k
Map of Vero Beach within Florida Located in Indian River County, Florida
Violent / 100k -79% vs FL
45
FL 215
Property / 100k -83% vs FL
272
FL 1,634
3

No. 3 safest city in Florida

Longboat Key, FL

7,484 people SnackAbility 10/10
10/10
Longboat Key, FL
Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
0 violent / 414 property per 100k
Map of Longboat Key within Florida Located in Sarasota County, Florida
Violent / 100k -100% vs FL
0
FL 215
Property / 100k -75% vs FL
414
FL 1,634

Little Longboat Key is a town in Manatee and Sarasota counties along the central west coast of Florida.

It has the safest rate of violent crimes and has the seventh safest rate for property crime.

It's the kind of place where you can sleep safe and sound. on the beach.

4

No. 4 safest city in Florida

Tavares, FL

21,790 people SnackAbility 6/10
6/10
Tavares, FL
Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
64 violent / 243 property per 100k
Map of Tavares within Florida Located in Lake County, Florida
Violent / 100k -70% vs FL
64
FL 215
Property / 100k -85% vs FL
243
FL 1,634

Founded by Alexander St. Clair-Abrams in 1880, Tavares, the county seat of Lake County, boasts a position as the fourth safest city in Florida. Its strategic location between Lake Eustis and Lake Dora contributes to a low 307/100k people crimes per capita, with a remarkable violent crime per capita rate of 64/100k people that includes rare occurrences of murder and robbery.

Tavares's commitment to safety is further highlighted by its low property crime count at 53, earning it the safest and tenth safest ranks for property and violent crimes, respectively.

5

No. 5 safest city in Florida

Marco Island, FL

16,362 people SnackAbility 9/10
9/10
Marco Island, FL
Source: Flickr User davidwilson1949 | CC BY 2.0
61 violent / 409 property per 100k
Map of Marco Island within Florida Located in Collier County, Florida
Violent / 100k -72% vs FL
61
FL 215
Property / 100k -75% vs FL
409
FL 1,634

Marco Island has been a mainstay on our rankings for the last six iterations -- this place is just constantly safe.

Property crime isn't a concern here as it's the sixth safest and violent crime sneaks into the top ten.

It is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area.

6

No. 6 safest city in Florida

Davenport, FL

17,456 people SnackAbility 5/10
5/10
Davenport, FL
Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | CC BY-SA 2.5
74 violent / 344 property per 100k
Located in Polk County, Florida
Violent / 100k -65% vs FL
74
FL 215
Property / 100k -79% vs FL
344
FL 1,634

Davenport, in Polk County, ranks sixth in statewide safety with 0 murders and a low violent crime rate of 74/100k people per capita. Holding the fourth 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 17,456. It now boasts an impressively low 418/100k people, securing its place as the fifth safest city for overall crime rates.

7

No. 7 safest city in Florida

Fellsmere, FL

5,032 people SnackAbility 3/10
3/10
Fellsmere, FL
Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
60 violent / 596 property per 100k
Map of Fellsmere within Florida Located in Indian River County, Florida
Violent / 100k -72% vs FL
60
FL 215
Property / 100k -64% vs FL
596
FL 1,634
8

No. 8 safest city in Florida

Key Biscayne, FL

14,306 people SnackAbility 10/10
10/10
Key Biscayne, FL
Source: Public domain
56 violent / 776 property per 100k
Map of Key Biscayne within Florida Located in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Violent / 100k -74% vs FL
56
FL 215
Property / 100k -53% vs FL
776
FL 1,634

If you're keen on being safe, maybe you should check out Key Biscayne -- an island town in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

There aren't any hanging chads when it comes to us saying it's has the sixth safest rate of violent crimes in Florida.

Violent crime here is like a million times safer than the most dangerous places in the country. Well maybe not exactly, but real safe.

9

No. 9 safest city in Florida

Bay Harbor Islands, FL

5,610 people SnackAbility 9/10
9/10
Bay Harbor Islands, FL
Source: Flickr User miamism | CC BY 2.0
36 violent / 856 property per 100k
Map of Bay Harbor Islands within Florida Located in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Violent / 100k -83% vs FL
36
FL 215
Property / 100k -48% vs FL
856
FL 1,634

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 2 violent crimes committed in Bay Harbor Islands over 2024, 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.

10

No. 10 safest city in Florida

North Palm Beach, FL

13,082 people SnackAbility 9/10
9/10
North Palm Beach, FL
Source: Wikipedia User Michael Kagdis | CC BY-SA 3.0
84 violent / 550 property per 100k
Map of North Palm Beach within Florida Located in Palm Beach County, Florida
Violent / 100k -61% vs FL
84
FL 215
Property / 100k -66% vs FL
550
FL 1,634

Located between #2 Tequesta and West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach ranks as the 9th safest city in Florida overall, which is a moderate improvement compared with the previous year's numbers. The city has an especially low rate of property crime, with residents facing only a 1 in 126 chance of dealing with such a crime in the last year of available data.

And North Palm Beach protects more than just its human residents - John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, the only state park in Palm Beach County, keeps the region's flora and fauna just as safe from harm.

The receipts

Compare the top ten

Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Florida's statewide median. Lower is safer.

City Violent / 100k vs FL
1 Gulf Breeze 14 -93%
2 Vero Beach 45 -79%
3 Longboat Key 0 -100%
4 Tavares 64 -70%
5 Marco Island 61 -72%
6 Davenport 74 -65%
7 Fellsmere 60 -72%
8 Key Biscayne 56 -74%
10 North Palm Beach 84 -61%

Florida statewide median: 215

City Property / 100k vs FL
1 Gulf Breeze 315 -81%
2 Vero Beach 272 -83%
3 Longboat Key 414 -75%
4 Tavares 243 -85%
5 Marco Island 409 -75%
6 Davenport 344 -79%
7 Fellsmere 596 -64%
8 Key Biscayne 776 -53%
10 North Palm Beach 550 -66%

Florida statewide median: 1,634

City Murders / 100k vs FL
1 Gulf Breeze 0 +0%
2 Vero Beach 0 +0%
3 Longboat Key 0 +0%
4 Tavares 0 +0%
5 Marco Island 0 +0%
6 Davenport 0 +0%
7 Fellsmere 0 +0%
8 Key Biscayne 0 +0%

Florida statewide median: 0

City Population vs FL
1 Gulf Breeze 6,991 --
2 Vero Beach 17,622 --
3 Longboat Key 7,484 --
4 Tavares 21,790 --
5 Marco Island 16,362 --
6 Davenport 17,456 --
7 Fellsmere 5,032 --
8 Key Biscayne 14,306 --
10 North Palm Beach 13,082 --

On the map

Where the safety is in Florida

Safest Cities in Florida Graph

Saturday Night Science

Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in Florida for 2026

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 23 crimes committed in Gulf Breeze, with a reported population of 6,991. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0033, which translates into a 1 in 303 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 100 of the biggest cities in Florida to rank.

We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 100 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 Gulf Breeze. The most dangerous city in Florida? Florida City, where residents had a 1 in 9 chance of being the victim of a crime.

This article has been update for 2026. This report marks our eleventh time ranking the safest places to live in Florida. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2024 report.

Summary

Summary: The Safest Cities In The Sunshine State

Looking at the data, you can tell that Gulf Breeze 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 .

For more reading, check out:

The full plate

Where Are The Safest Cities In Florida For 2026?

Click any column to sort. All 100 ranked Florida cities.

RankCityPopulationViolent / 100kProperty / 100kMurders / 100kMurders
1Gulf Breeze, FL6,9911431400
2Vero Beach, FL17,6224527200
3Longboat Key, FL7,484041400
4Tavares, FL21,7906424300
5Marco Island, FL16,3626140900
6Davenport, FL17,4567434300
7Fellsmere, FL5,0325959600
8Key Biscayne, FL14,3065577500
9Bay Harbor Islands, FL5,6103585500
10North Palm Beach, FL13,0828455000
11Tequesta, FL6,12811445600
12Oviedo, FL41,65610558300
13North Port, FL93,9309378100
14Hialeah Gardens, FL22,065631,01900
15Westlake, FL6,1216599600
16Dunedin, FL35,8858092200
17Safety Harbor, FL16,92412969100
18Lake Alfred, FL7,649781,01900
19Indian Harbour Beach, FL9,02014452100
20Clewiston, FL7,21215236000
21Wellington, FL61,65212979432
22Lynn Haven, FL21,15214164241
23Haines City, FL41,03513179442
24Lighthouse Point, FL10,512471,37900
25Miami Lakes, FL31,5111011,31300
26Neptune Beach, FL6,9141301,17100
27Coral Springs, FL135,1571361,09324
28Sebastian, FL27,44515389931
29Lake Mary, FL16,6691371,03700
30Sunny Isles Beach, FL21,7621331,19400
31St. Cloud, FL68,96618875822
32Maitland, FL19,1361251,35300
33South Pasadena, FL5,2681511,27100
34West Melbourne, FL30,0571531,19700
35Village of Pinecrest, FL17,963941,74800
36Marianna, FL7,67020896400
37Cutler Bay, FL43,2901471,36221
38Palm Beach, FL9,2621721,27400
39Oldsmar, FL14,8011211,83761
40Sweetwater, FL20,7331012,06900
41Royal Palm Beach, FL39,6541581,47700
42Atlantic Beach, FL13,0791601,49000
43Palm Bay, FL141,1373471,017711
44Crestview, FL29,9032141,40700
45Boca Raton, FL100,5571711,67612
46Greenacres City, FL44,1432441,34542
47Longwood, FL17,2982421,36400
48Palmetto Bay, FL24,2451482,01600
49Treasure Island, FL6,5041841,82900
50Winter Haven, FL59,4502351,54964
51Tarpon Springs, FL26,1192371,55431
52Lake Wales, FL16,8132431,52800
53Seminole, FL19,2011921,87400
54Winter Park, FL29,8532041,97600
55Auburndale, FL21,6772162,11741
56Titusville, FL49,9705181,28000
57Tampa, FL408,6464441,465836
58Temple Terrace, FL27,0624171,65131
59Arcadia, FL7,9865131,364625
60Pinellas Park, FL53,4812332,20653
61Plantation, FL98,1002092,27377
62Stuart, FL20,1093082,14841
63St. Pete Beach, FL8,6873102,12900
64Gulfport, FL11,6183092,18600
65Sarasota, FL58,4325491,615117
66Bradenton, FL57,5034481,86564
67Bartow, FL20,9484911,79041
68Brooksville, FL10,0864262,01200
69Leesburg, FL33,4353792,177114
70Aventura, FL38,3171644,08900
71Kissimmee, FL81,9674911,89422
72Defuniak Springs, FL7,0533822,24000
73Key West, FL24,6973522,25900
74Palmetto, FL13,6626071,77871
75Altamonte Springs, FL44,9563402,31100
76Casselberry, FL31,1662822,58931
77South Miami, FL12,1064462,164162
78Boynton Beach, FL81,4734172,28233
79Miami Gardens, FL110,4664142,4291113
80West Palm Beach, FL126,4275752,137710
81Miami Shores, FL11,4762523,68500
82Palatka, FL10,8162683,73500
83Apopka, FL60,5834302,31711
84Delray Beach, FL67,7804212,63022
85Sanford, FL66,9005422,25254
86Panama City, FL36,6466492,18883
87Springfield, FL8,3308042,17200
88Belleview, FL5,8814253,0091026
89Miami, FL460,3924732,995628
90Pahokee, FL5,5671,1312,245352
91St. Petersburg, FL264,9996192,458618
92Ocala, FL70,0464993,04975
93North Miami Beach, FL42,5745822,91294
94Lake Worth, FL41,3247302,65794
95Gainesville, FL147,0227372,70347
96Belle Glade, FL16,8801,3272,659417
97Lake Park, FL8,9595806,864222
98Riviera Beach, FL39,0219433,631177
99Cocoa, FL20,2351,0823,55341
100Florida City, FL12,4412,2908,013648

Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In Florida

Safest Cities in Florida Breakdown

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