Bay Harbor One Of Florida's 20 Safest Cities

BAY HARBOR ISLANDS, FL — Bay Harbor Islands was named one of Florida's 20 safest cities on Monday. The ranking was compiled by independent review and comparison website SafeWise which focuses on home security and safety issues. The Miami suburb ranked 11th out of the top 20 communities but the average crime rates of cities on the list was 65 percent lower than the national average.

"Florida’s top-20 safest cities didn’t report much violent crime either," according to SafeWise. "In fact, on average, these cities cited less than one violent crime per 1,000 people. "All the cities on our list contributed to this stellar safety record, but Longboat Key — the safest city in Florida — earns added applause for reporting no violent crimes whatsoever."

Bay Harbor Islands was the only city in Miami-Dade County to make the list, but nearby Broward and Palm Beach Counties also were represented with Weston in third place, Parkland in fourth, Tequesta in seventh, Highland Beach in 10th place and Cooper City in 12th place.

To compile the list, SafeWise reviewed 2015 FBI crime report statistics and population data. "We eliminated all cities with fewer than 3,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI," the organization said.

"From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft) in each city," according to SafeWise. "To level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city."

In the case of Bay Harbor, the community averaged .49 violent crimes per 1,000 residents and 10.33 property crimes.

"Like all states, Florida has its dangerous places, but the cities on our list certainly aren’t included," said SafeWise. "The average crime rate among the southeastern most state’s 20 safest locations was 65 percent lower than the national average — with a mere 10 crimes reported per 1,000 people."

Overall, SafeWise found that Florida has a lower property crime rate than nearby Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The Sunshine State also experienced a steady decline of such crimes over the past several years.

Here is the complete list:

1. Longboat Key

Violent Crimes per 1,000: o.oo
Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.05

2. Indian River Shores

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.24
Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.40

3. Weston

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.37
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.21

4. Parkland

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.24
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.36

5. Melbourne Beach

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.26
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.61

6. Marco Island

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.68
Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.68

7. Tequesta

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.69
Property Crimes per 1,000: 8.60

8. Indian Shores

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.65
Property Crimes per 1,000: 8.82

9. Valparaiso

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.34
Property Crimes per 1,000: 9.18

10. Highland Beach

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.54
Property Crimes per 1,000: 10.21

11. Bay Harbor Islands

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.49
Property Crimes per 1,000: 10.33

12. Cooper City

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.87
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.14

13. Sanibel

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.56
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.52

14. Winter Springs

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.05
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.05

15. Minneola

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.13
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.06

16. Satellite Beach

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.57
Property Crimes per 1,000: 1.72

17. Oviedo

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.63
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.19

18. Indian Harbour Beach

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.08
Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.20

19. Midway

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.19
Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.18

20. Punta Gorda

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.23
Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.89

Photo courtesy Bay Harbor Islands.