Native Texan looking to relocate to Florida...advice please. (Miami: foreclosure, crime)

[sc0628]

Hello all! I am new to this board and I am really glad I found it. Well, we are in a bit of a situation. Here it is....
My husband, fourteen year old daughter, sweet cat and myself are looking at moving back to Coral Springs Florida and we are also looking into the Sarasota/Tampa area. What areas are recommended and how is the crime? We moved to Coral Springs in May 2004 b/c my husband was working for FPL. We left and came back to Texas b/c we felt we would not ever be able to have a home due to how expensive the housing was out there. We have been doing way worse since we moved back. My husband has had a really hard time finding work in Texas and it seems that there are jobs opening up in his field in the Largo & Miami/ Hialeah areas. We were only in Coral Springs for 1 year, but we really enjoyed it. We lived at the Promenade at Wyndham Lakes and our daughter was in Junior High at the time and went to Coral Springs Middle School. I never felt unsafe there. The hurricanes were not so bad either. There were mostly like northerns here in Texas.
I miss it there, but we are very concerned due to the crime in the state. Right now we are in the Austin area and we just lost our home in foreclosure. It is happening everywhere. We are getting ready to file for Bankruptcy due to my husband being laid off from his job. Can someone please give us some advice on if we should consider moving back? I am getting the impression that if we drive down the street we could be shot.
thanks.
sc

[Keeper]

Not at all true at least in the Tampa Bay area. There are areas to avoid at night, but even those areas are not THAT bad during the day.
Can't tell you about Coral Springs area though.

[sc0628]

K, we are getting despite in our attempt to look for work.
thanks,
sc