[Crane's Rooster]

I can understand the OP's not wanting to mistakenly linger into the more dangerous areas. It's true in many FL cities that you can quickly cross from a good area to bad very quickly, or what's more dangerous not realize your heading into a bad area because it doesn't look that bad. Unfortunatly I can't be of too much help because the areas I know best (Ft. Myers and Orlando) the OP is already familiar with. The only tidbits I can add is be careful in Sanford right outside downtown, avoid the areas east of 75 in Naples and south St. Pete is fairly rough. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[FLA17]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

I can understand the OP's not wanting to mistakenly linger into the more dangerous areas. It's true in many FL cities that you can quickly cross from a good area to bad very quickly, or what's more dangerous not realize your heading into a bad area because it doesn't look that bad. Unfortunatly I can't be of too much help because the areas I know best (Ft. Myers and Orlando) the OP is already familiar with. The only tidbits I can add is be careful in Sanford right outside downtown, avoid the areas east of 75 in Naples and south St. Pete is fairly rough. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Exactly...I don't know why the rest of the people responding are acting like it's hard to find a rough part of town if you aren't familiar with the city. I've lived in Florida long enough to know that the hoods here don't look much different from middle class living and that they are very close to tourist/nice areas. Is it like this in small towns too?

[marcopolo]

Originally Posted by FLA17

Exactly...I don't know why the rest of the people responding are acting like it's hard to find a rough part of town if you aren't familiar with the city. I've lived in Florida long enough to know that the hoods here don't look much different from middle class living and that they are very close to tourist/nice areas. Is it like this in small towns too?

No, the small towns are all like Mayberry RFD, where everyone says hello and Aunt Bea invites you in for milk and cookies, or apple pie if you are lucky.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by FLA17

I don't know why the rest of the people responding are acting like it's hard to find a rough part of town if you aren't familiar with the city.

But that's just the thing. A lot of the bad neighborhoods aren't neighborhoods that you'd find yourself in in the first place, since there's rarely any sort of touristy stuff down there.

Look at St. Pete, for instance. There's a portion of South St. Pete that is very rough, but there's absolutely nothing down there that would attract tourists.

[EscAlaMike]

Being the victim of a crime is pretty much the last thing I would think about before taking a road trip. Why is it even a concern? If you use common sense and aren't involved in illegal activity yourself, you'll be fine.

[FLA17]

Originally Posted by ferret111

But that's just the thing. A lot of the bad neighborhoods aren't neighborhoods that you'd find yourself in in the first place, since there's rarely any sort of touristy stuff down there.

Look at St. Pete, for instance. There's a portion of South St. Pete that is very rough, but there's absolutely nothing down there that would attract tourists.

Well in Orlando pretty much anything just west of downtown is pretty bad. And by I-drive there's Tangelo Park and other areas that are easy to walk into. The first time I went to Fort Myers I drove thru all the worst areas and didn't even know it until after. I'm just asking because we plan on doing a lot of city driving and not just tourst stuff so is there anything we should just avoid completely because of this? And I know crime is everywhere but in Florida an awful lot of it is between people that don't know each other this is a fact.

[FLA17]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

Being the victim of a crime is pretty much the last thing I would think about before taking a road trip. Why is it even a concern? If you use common sense and aren't involved in illegal activity yourself, you'll be fine.

It's a little bit of a concern because I'm not only going to tourist areas and my friend has out of state tags.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by FLA17

And I know crime is everywhere but in Florida an awful lot of it is between people that don't know each other this is a fact.

Do you have some documentation to back that up? Excuse me for being skeptical.

It's a little bit of a concern because I'm not only going to tourist areas and my friend has out of state tags.

Look, man. I'm not trying to trivialize you and your desire for a safe trip, but you really need to chill out. Almost every post of yours on City-Data has to do with crime, to almost a paranoid degree. You won't get shot driving down a street or pumping gas. Nobody is going to kidnap you or hold you hostage in your motel room. Some of your other posts show you worrying about being a victim of a hate crime. I can tell you flat out that that stuff is not a daily occurrence. Honestly, I'm willing to bet that there's a better chance of you getting into a car accident than there is of you being a victim of any sort of crime. How can you possibly enjoy a vacation when you're going to analyze every last move you make?

[jambo101]

Why not just stay home where its nice and safe as you arent going to have any fun on this trip if you are going to be totally paranoid for the whole time envisioning the possibilities of boogey men with guns around every corner.

[clearsight]

For each town you plan to travel through, search for upscale shopping centers and go only to the areas where they are located. For example, Google stores such as Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Oscar deLaRenta for locations and addresses. Set your car navigator to go to those addresses and concentrate on the few surrounding blocks when you arrive. Don't go to small towns that don't have major luxury shopping areas. Between cities, drive toll roads and expressways only. Don't go off the expressways toward small towns; they might be dangerous.

There, you're all set. All you need is a good variety of credit cards. Platinum cards work best to get anything you want.