Out of Miami's metro (Dade, Broward, PBC) which has the worst crime? (Fort Lauderdale: crime rate, homes)

[FLGulfcoaster]

From reading these forums you would get the idea that the whole south florida metro area is a war zone. I know that isn't true based on personal experience.

However which of the 3 counties, (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) do you think has the worst crime?

I might be wrong but I would think that Broward would be the safest followed by PBC and then Dade.

The reason I ask this is because in the distant future I am considering moving to the atlantic side and I want to make an informed decision.

[Manny561]

PBC has the highest crime rate out of the three. Dade is bad but there not on the same mentality most people have here in palm beach. People get shot over 10 bucks. My friend got a gun pulled on him when he asked somebody if they had change for a 20. People are crazy up here.

[PBCboy]

I'd put Dade at the most dangerous, Palm Beach in the middle, and Broward as the safest.

When you enter a ghetto in Palm Beach or Dade it feels like you're in another country. In Broward it just feels like "the bad part of town".

[hatteras60]

Liberty City and Little Haiti are the two worst areas of any city in Flawda.

[Marlin331]

I don't really see the utility of this exercise because the "average" place in all three of the counties is middle class and safe. All three counties have incredibly beautiful and wealthy areas, all three have crime-filled ghettos, and all three have normal areas. The average person in South Florida does not live in fear of crime, regardless of what some people on this forum may have you think.

OP, I grew up in South Florida and am especially familiar with Miami-Dade County (somewhat familiar with Broward and not very familiar with Palm Beach). I would be glad to help you with any questions should you want to ask any specifics.

[Pooring Footers]

Dade, PBC, and then Broward.

[compelled to reply]

Dade is worst all around. Broward and Palm Beach are probably about neck and neck for what proportion of areas could be considered "high crime", but that requires further explanation

The bad blocks of PBC are a LOT hotter than Broward (maybe worse than Dade). Go into areas like the north end of WPB, most of Lake Worth, Belle Glade, Pahokee, some parts of Delray and Boynton, and even sections of Boca Raton and Jupiter (really), and, like PBCboy said, it feels as if you stepped into another country. Street gangs are also more prevalent here when compared to Dade and especially Broward. Robberies and drug deals are ubiquitous, burglaries run rampant, and the rate of homicide is high. There is also a lack of a visible middle class, as well as extremely rich areas bordering on these bad neighborhoods. This means that most of the "good" parts of PBC aren't as safe as the good parts of Broward (although still nothing to be afraid of). There is a definite "spillover" of crime into the "good areas".

Miami-Dade has some extremely vast high-crime neighborhoods such as the city of Miami, Miami Gardens, Homestead (South Dade at large with exceptions), and even some parts of Miami Beach. The predominant crimes consist of drug cartels, robberies, murder, some gang violence, and turf wars. Burglaries actually aren't too bad rate wise, because most homes in Miami-Dade have burglar bars. That being said, if you have a single family home without them, you will probably be burglarized, although there are plenty of safer areas for property crime without burglar bars too (some of Kendall, Miami Lakes, some parts of the beaches etc).

There are two long-standing "hardcore" sections of Broward, Collier City near Pompano/basically the rest of inland Pompano, and northwest Fort Lauderdale. Lauderhill's "deepside" neighborhood is also heating up and could now be considered number three. The "feel" of these areas is similar to other ghettos in north or central Florida and different from Dade or Palm Beach (exception Deepside which has it's own strange feel), but that doesn't mean they aren't bad. Don't go to these areas at night. Also, a lot of inland Dania Beach, Pembroke Park and Oakland Park are just plain sleazy and need to be avoided. Lots of drugs, prostitution, robberies and burglaries in these areas. In feel, think Las Vegas. The rest of the high crime areas in Broward have mostly drug-related/insider crime and an elevated number of burglaries. Robberies/muggings are becoming more common as well, and gang violence is beginning to increase, but for the most part, these bad areas are easy to avoid and if you are street smart, you will be fine. Almost anything west of University Dr is low in crime, but Sherman Circle in Miramar is an exception (small area), and there are also areas of Sunrise with elevated rate of burglary and robbery. All and all, there's plenty of crime, but I have seen waaaaay worse and it definitely has the least "warzone" like vibe of the three. It it also the safest of the states "urban" areas, although crime in Broward is increasing while crime in Hillsborough County (second "best") is decreasing and the gap is closing between the two.

Overall

1. Dade (highest share of bad areas)
2. Palm Beach (more good than bad areas, but the bad areas are really bad)
3. Broward (A few more bad areas then average but nothing that I haven't seen elsewhere.)

And remember, I am mostly analyzing the bad areas. I would consider the majority of all three counties to be plenty safe, even Miami-Dade.

[rogerbacon]

Wow, I didn't know Palm Beach County was so bad. I guess the only place I've been up there is Boca Raton and it seemed like everyone was a millionair up there. LOL I guess I'm like those people who come down to "Miami" and only see the beach.

[Pooring Footers]

Boca Raton seems pretty miserable. The people that have chosen to reloacte there, many of them are so rude and just mean. I know an RN that has traveled all over and worked all over the place, she said (regarding the people) Boca Raton was the worst.

[blackklight]

Originally Posted by crisp444

I don't really see the utility of this exercise because the "average" place in all three of the counties is middle class and safe. All three counties have incredibly beautiful and wealthy areas, all three have crime-filled ghettos, and all three have normal areas. The average person in South Florida does not live in fear of crime, regardless of what some people on this forum may have you think.

OP, I grew up in South Florida and am especially familiar with Miami-Dade County (somewhat familiar with Broward and not very familiar with Palm Beach). I would be glad to help you with any questions should you want to ask any specifics.

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