Governor Rick Scott announced on Friday that Florida’s crime is now at a 45-year low. In 2015, there were 10,773 fewer crimes than in 2014, which represents a 1.6 percent decrease. The drop in the number of crimes was entirely due to 11,961 less burglaries in 2015 – all other crime categories were nearly unchanged or saw an increase.
Although the overall crime rate decreased by 3.1 percent since 2014, the Sunshine State saw an increase in murders, rapes, and aggravated assaults. There were 56 more murders in 2015 than in 2014, 435 more rapes, and 2,331 more aggravated assaults.
“Florida’s crime rate continues to drop thanks to the hard work and dedication of our brave law enforcement officers,” Governor Rick Scott said. “We are committed to building safer communities and want Florida to be the safest and best place in the nation to live, work and raise a family. By investing more than $4.9 billion in public safety measures across our state, we want to ensure that our law enforcement and safety agencies are equipped with the tools they need to keep Florida families safe.”
“The crime rate in Florida is the lowest it has been in 45 years and that is due to the great work of our state law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day protecting Floridians and our visitors,” Attorney General Pam Bondi added. “I cannot express the extent of my gratitude to each and every law enforcement officer in our state for their selfless commitment to the safety of Floridians and our great prosecutors who work to keep the worst of the worst behind bars where they below.”
