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The Florida economy has been/is/will be built upon tourism. Please look at the posts... the ongoing number one reason for moving, or just visiting here, is the climate. Disney does not hurt the tourism either, but the surge in crime in Orlando may. You seem to suggest that this is an isolated and rare instance that is happening throughout the country. I contend that this crime in Florida is an ongoing indication of how widespread and serious crime is becoming in your beautiful state. Like so many who buried their collective heads in the sand when the preliminary signs were in place of a projected housing bubble, the sand is in your eyes when it comes to seeing the implications/indications/potential effects of the surge of crime throughout the entire state of Florida. Not searching for Utopia... just a WPB that is safe, regardless of the street I drive upon.
Would you happen to be Bill Cowher retired coach in Steel town? Agree, crime is rapidly abundant and alot of wackos are running around Florida. As much as I love the place it seems every episode of COPS I watch is about Florida. I give those officers alot of credit dealing with the monumental amount of hoodlums running around. Where do all the sex offenders go when they get in trouble in their hometown state? You guessed it come to FLorida and you can be part of the largest amount of sex offenders in the country. It seems to be getting worse and worse in FL, but I'll deal with the snow and taxes at least I get robbed in another way!!
You seem to suggest that this is an isolated and rare instance that is happening throughout the country..
All credibility lost. You clearly know nothing about this case and seems like you have some kind of hidden agenda behind your writing. And well, your right, this incident is isolated and rare, because thousands of people pass in and out of the town center every day. I'm sure a few get their cars broken into, someone might have their purse snatched, but this type of barbaric behavior is rare. Nothing you say is totally untrue, but it's largely off topic and blown out of proportion.
And to the other poster, the stupid guy did steal money and valuables from these women, but he clearly has another objective other than robbery if you study the suspect and the case. Anyone who kills someone for money is a nutcase, but this guy is above and beyond a typical thug and the type of case could come from someone of any economic background, but retiredcoach is trying to somehow turn it into a Florida issue instead of an individual issue, writing some nonsense on how Florida is like Jamaica or something like that and this is commonplace.
PS, West Palm has been dangerous for many, many years. West Palm Beach isn't the whole state, just like Philly or Allentown isn't all of Pennsylvania. I am not suggesting Florida does not have more crime than other states (despite the fact that it's national ranking has continually dropped from the alleged "paradise" 90s when it was number one), but some of you would be great working for the local news! The only city in Florida that has actually became progressively worse beyond national trends has been Orlando.
Last edited by compelled to reply; 03-08-2008 at 08:23 PM..
And to the other poster, the stupid guy did steal money and valuables from these women, but he clearly has another objective other than robbery if you study the suspect and the case. Anyone who kills someone for money is a nutcase, but this guy is above and beyond a typical thug and the type of case could come from someone of any economic background, but retiredcoach is trying to somehow turn it into a Florida issue instead of an individual issue, writing some nonsense on how Florida is like Jamaica or something like that and this is commonplace.
PS, West Palm has been dangerous for many, many years. West Palm Beach isn't the whole state, just like Philly or Allentown isn't all of Pennsylvania. I am not suggesting Florida does not have more crime than other states (despite the fact that it's national ranking has continually dropped from the alleged "paradise" 90s when it was number one), but some of you would be great working for the local news! The only city in Florida that has actually became progressively worse beyond national trends has been Orlando.
No hidden agenda... just a concern that Florida vacation and/or residence may not be the safest thing for my family to consider anymore. In the most recent state rankings (2005), according to public records search, Florida was listed as the 9th worst state in the country in terms of an individual being a potential victim of a crime, and third in violent crimes per capita. One person of every 21 residing in Florida was a victim of a crime in 2005. These statistics are not improving within the current state of the Florida economy in 2008.
Your initial contention was that things are bad all over. It had then progressed to all of Florida is not WPB. My ongoing contention is that violent crimes in Florida (as well as the number of sexual predators) is/has/will continue to grow. Blaming my posts, the local media, and/or anyone with a genuine concern about this facet of "Florida living" is misguided. Florida may not be a Utopia, but it surely should not become a criminal's paradise either. Unfortunately, this type of crime is becoming correlated with the Florida lifestyle, and it is not only the residents who may need to take extra measures to protect their families.
No hidden agenda... just a concern that Florida vacation and/or residence may not be the safest thing for my family to consider anymore. In the most recent state rankings (2005), according to public records search, Florida was listed as the 9th worst state in the country in terms of an individual being a potential victim of a crime, and third in violent crimes per capita. One person of every 21 residing in Florida was a victim of a crime in 2005. These statistics are not improving within the current state of the Florida economy in 2008.
You need to provide more information. As you know, Florida is the country's 4th largest state, in terms of population. Florida is home to big cities, with a huge illegal population. Now, what percentage of crimes in your post are committed in the inner cities, or by gang on gang violence? It is disingenuous to say that crime is rampant in all areas; it's simply not true.
I do admit that Florida is attractive to scumbags though. There is a large elderly population that people can prey on, the climate allows the homeless and drifters to float in and out, and the tourists that come here seem to forget all of the things they normally would do, such as locking cars and not flashing lots of money.
No hidden agenda... just a concern that Florida vacation and/or residence may not be the safest thing for my family to consider anymore. In the most recent state rankings (2005), according to public records search, Florida was listed as the 9th worst state in the country in terms of an individual being a potential victim of a crime, and third in violent crimes per capita. One person of every 21 residing in Florida was a victim of a crime in 2005. These statistics are not improving within the current state of the Florida economy in 2008.
Your initial contention was that things are bad all over. It had then progressed to all of Florida is not WPB. My ongoing contention is that violent crimes in Florida (as well as the number of sexual predators) is/has/will continue to grow. Blaming my posts, the local media, and/or anyone with a genuine concern about this facet of "Florida living" is misguided. Florida may not be a Utopia, but it surely should not become a criminal's paradise either. Unfortunately, this type of crime is becoming correlated with the Florida lifestyle, and it is not only the residents who may need to take extra measures to protect their families.
I don't think you understood my post(s)...it's just that if you were alive 10 years ago when everything was "wonderful" (aka less expensive), Florida was the most dangerous state in the union. Numero uno. It's a not great but better number 8 now. As of 2007. And burglary, theft, the biggie crimes that people are most likely to experience dropped off of the top 10. It's getting worse in 2008, just like your home state keeps on getting worse with the national economy starting to go on a downturn, and I do believe Florida will be more effected than other states because of it's REAL ESTATE and CONSTRUCTION (only Orlando has a primary tourist base) based economy. Criminals paradise or not, you seem to be the one with this "paradise" mindset on a place that has ALWAYS had problems, and you are spinning this thread way off topic into something more broad. I'm not altogether disagreeing with you, but you are just getting off topic. I believe you about the 1 out of 21 people being a victim of a crime, and I bet it's higher than many other states, but I doubt it's dramatically higher than most urbanized states. It's primarily Orlando and Miami-Dade that push Florida into the top 10 for crime, with the rest of the state having some high crime pockets just like other states, but mostly being safe. Other major metro areas in the state like Tampa, JAX, even West Palm as a METRO do not rank in the top 25 despite formerly being on the top 25 list in years past, so those areas have actually improved, plus you have the medium/small towns and the rural parts of the state.
I just hope I don't walk outside and get robbed by the hamburglar, fast food industry oriented state and all.
The biggest differences between these occurrences in North Carolina and Florida are that people (tourists, snowbirds, etc.) come to Florida to get away from these issues. If a tourist is not going to feel safe to spend their thousands of dollars in Florida for vacations, and/or business, they will simply stop coming and/or spend it somewhere else. Too many segments of Florida are beginning to appear like Jamaica... wealthy near the beaches, poverty on the outskirts. These events are happening far too frequently in the Florida areas that families wish to visit.
They don't come here to get away from crime, it's the weather and lifestyle. Crime exists everywhere. Of course unless you live in a cave or never leave home then the risk is minimal to none.
Comparing Jamaica to Boca is laughable at best.
Let's see two college aged female students murdered in less then a week of each other in Alabama and North Carolina, victims of robbery and/or random acts of violence. Christmas 2007, mall shooter in Nebraska kills 9 people.
Tell me, where can you go to get away from crime? Mars? No, not Mars, PA but Mars the planet.
If you believe that the Florida economy has taken major hits with the hurricanes and the housing busts, these represent only the tip of the iceberg if crime takes a much stronger foothold. Crime is occurring everywhere, but not in the areas where tourism is the strongest part of the economy. The propaganda coming to us in the snowbelt sells "paradise".... Disney, the beaches,the climate, the cruises. The news and data tell us that Florida is no longer such a safe place to be. Believe what you will, but being the number 1 state in tourism and the number 2 state in violent crime can/will not continue to coexist.
If you believe that the Florida economy has taken major hits with the hurricanes and the housing busts, these represent only the tip of the iceberg if crime takes a much stronger foothold. Crime is occurring everywhere, but not in the areas where tourism is the strongest part of the economy. The propaganda coming to us in the snowbelt sells "paradise".... Disney, the beaches,the climate, the cruises. The news and data tell us that Florida is no longer such a safe place to be. Believe what you will, but being the number 1 state in tourism and the number 2 state in violent crime can/will not continue to coexist.
Do you live here? Have you lived here? Are you talking from experience or just what you get from Fox News?
Morgan Quitno ranks Florida number 8 for 2007, in 2006 Florida was ranked 7th.
Have family living in non-gated communities near WPB and Fort Lauderdale. I visit them yearly each of the past 11 years. I've watched them become almost paranoid about protection/safety the past 2-3 years. They are now considering the need for a gun. All have home/complex security systems, never leave doors unlocked, rarely venture outside their homes when it is dark. I often kid them about their homes becoming their fortresses.
Me? .... I thought I would be pre-retiring in the Florida sunshine by now as a resident. The benefits no longer outweigh the costs of moving or becoming a snowbird... ridiculous insurance, property taxes, hot summers, sales taxes, HOA fees, job/educational opportunities for my kids, hurricanes, and now, the onus of being a high crime state.
You have taken this post and converted it to your personal agenda. I encourage you to look at the issues surrounding your state through the eyes of an outsider wanting to include Florida in his/her family's future. Florida has so much to offer, but is losing ground on so many fronts. It becomes a sad state of affairs when a tourist needs to preplan a visit Florida, but will need to research the expanding crime zones first.
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Agree, crime is rapidly abundant and alot of wackos are running around Florida. As much as I love the place it seems every episode of COPS I watch is about Florida. I give those officers alot of credit dealing with the monumental amount of hoodlums running around. Where do all the sex offenders go when they get in trouble in their hometown state? You guessed it come to FLorida and you can be part of the largest amount of sex offenders in the country. It seems to be getting worse and worse in FL, but I'll deal with the snow and taxes at least I get robbed in another way!!
