Group names Satellite Beach 2019 safest city in Florida. Last year, Parkland ranked No. 3
For the second year in a row, Satellite Beach was listed among Florida's safest communities.
This time, the beachside community took the No. 1 slot.
According to a report released Monday by the National Council for Home Safety and Security, a trade association comprised of home security professionals across the U.S., Satellite Beach moved up a few spots from No. 4 in 2018 to No. 1 for 2019. The city bested Marco Island, which held the No. 1 spot for 2018. This year, Marco Island ranked No. 3 on the list.
Safest cities in Florida in 2019, according to the NCHSS:
1. Satellite Beach
2. Key Biscayne
3. Marco Island
4. Naples
5. North Palm Beach
Not surprisingly, Parkland, one of the Top 5 safest Florida cities in 2018, did not make this year's list.
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Parkland ranked No. 3 behind Weston (No. 2) and Marco Island (No. 1) in the NCHSS' "safest cities in Florida for 2018" list.
The 2018 report came out about three weeks before police say Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, one of the worst school massacres in U.S. history. The one-year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting is Feb. 14.
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Other crime statistics, according to the council's site:
• Florida ranks as the 31st safest state for property crime (first = lowest crime).
• Florida’s violent crime levels are moderately higher than the national average, with 4.44 crimes per 1,000 against a national average of 3.47 (ratio of 1.28). The state ranks 37th for safety in violent crime terms.
• Florida does rank slightly lower than the national average for property crimes, with 31.24 per 1,000 compared to the national average of 40.43.
The association said it used the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics, along with population data and internal research, to come up with its findings. Eliminated were cities failing to submit a complete crime report to the FBI. Also removed were cities with populations under 10,000.
Contributing: Wayne Price, FLORIDA TODAY
Sangalang is a digital producer at FLORIDA TODAY.
Contact Sangalang at 321-242-3630
or jsangalang@floridatoday.com.
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